Together Again?
by VampireMassacrexx
Summary: It's nearing the two year anniversary of when Robin sacrificed herself to put an end to Grima. Her husband Chrom and young daughter Lucina have been left behind to try to pick up the pieces of their broken family. But one day, Chrom finds that his love has returned to him. But is everything how it seems and what does a recent threat against the royal family have to do with it?
1. A Never-ending Nightmare

***Spoilers Warning*** Definite spoilers about the 'true' end of 'Awakening' even during the introduction. Also spoilers about other elements of the plot throughout the game.

Hello!

This is my new full-length story that I'll be working on alongside 'Reasons to Fight'. This story is based in the events post- Robin delivering the final blow to Grima. In this story, she's married to Chrom (I mean of course she is, they're my second favourite 'fictional' pairing in all of 'fiction' in general- there's no way I could ever write an 'Awakening' story where they aren't a couple or where they aren't going to become one.)

It starts about two years after the final battle and I hope you like where I'm going to take this story. Some things to note about Robin: since I'm planning on making this quite a few Chapters long, it's simpler to use the default Robin appearance and that is what I am doing. Her age is twenty-three (one year younger than Chrom), I'm not sure if she stops aging after sacrificing herself but I've decided she didn't which is why she is still a year younger than Chrom. I will also be sticking with Robin's default name.

Also, this story has a playlist however, unless a song and/or songs apply to a specific Chapter or situation, they won't be posted until then end of the story in which I will post a full list of songs. This is mainly because the list just keeps growing so I don't want to list them all right now until I reach the end and know what songs were influential on the work.

This story is a mixture of ideas and is influenced by a lot of things. The first of which is that I _really_ want *ahem*-sorry- _need_ a direct sequel to 'Awakening' because I still believe there's so much they could delve into and if they allow you to transfer your 'Awakening' pairings over- wouldn't that just be so cool?! Especially since the ChromxRobin pairing has so much depth to it. Another thing is that after I finished the game for the umpteenth time and delivered the final blow to Grima, when I saw the clip where Chrom and Lissa find Robin in a field again, I still cried despite seeing it a lot of times before so my brain decided to torture me during my emotional moment by making me think _'What if robin wakes up without any memories again?'_...Yep...thanks a lot brain. It turns out, I'm not the only one who has thought of this as there are many fanfictions that use this idea which I have read and that have influenced this story however, this story doesn't use _that_ particular idea per say despite it being the idea that I started with originally. I try to make my work as unique as possible, if people have written about Robin having a second bout of amnesia whilst paired with Chrom then I'll go out of my way to think of something else that makes the story worth reading. But...yeah, those stories have still inspired this work a lot so I'm thankful to all the stories out there that gave me the courage to write my own. =) Finally, my brain just hates letting things go; I can spend months, even years expanding fictional works inside of my own head simply because I can't bear to let them go. The world of 'Awakening' its characters and the ChromxRobin pairing are a part of the 'years' category. Yes, I love the game _that_ much!

Anyway, without further ado, lets get started.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing to do with 'Fire Emblem [Awakening]', its locations, characters etc. All rights go to their respective owners.

 **Rated T. *WARNING* **There's a minor reference to a suicide attempt during this Chapter and by minor- I _mean_ minor- since it occurs in a nightmare and is no more than a mere suggestion but, I know that even a brief mention of it may be triggering to some people. Hopefully, it shouldn't come up again during this story and if it does, you'll be warned beforehand. I am still keeping this rated as 'T' due to how small the reference is but if enough people feel like I should change the rating or alter the wording/change the scene then I am willing to do so as long as the reasoning is justified and is shared by a fair amount of people. There's also a couple of references to concubines and the like but nothing of the 'raunchy' nature actually occurs in this Chapter.

* * *

 **Together Again?: A Never-ending Nightmare**

To many on the outside, the city of Ylisstol would seem like any other royal capital during that time. Rows of houses lining the streets, some clearly having seen more wear and tear over time, stalls and shops that bustled with activity at nearly all hours of the day, people going about their daily lives without a care in the world now they weren't at war and- at the centre of it all- a tall castle obscured by tall walls.

Inside of that castle is where the royal family of Ylisse resided which is why it tended to be heavily guarded at all times. Whilst it could be argued that most royal families were going to be seen as 'important targets' by criminals, assassins, kidnappers and the like; the royal family of Ylisse was probably targeted more than most. This was for a variety of reasons: the newest Exalt's approval rating being almost as high as the Exalt's before him despite only being a fairly short way into his reign after seeing his Kingdom safely through a multitude of scrapes and wars over the years, the fact that he was now a father and- for a less savoury reason- because he was still the only son of one of the Exalted bloodline's most despised descendants who had been responsible for ruining many lives before his own demise.

Within one of the larger rooms of the palace, the current Exalt was still in a deep slumber in one of the largest rooms within its confines. The man in his early twenties was lying on his side facing away from the other side of the bed, his blue hair splayed across the pillow and his chest bare, the blankets hung loose around his hips. On the outside he seemed peaceful enough; his face was untroubled by the world around him and his posture was rather relaxed.

But he wasn't at peace, he could never be at peace.

This became evident when he jerked awake, turning around and sitting up with a start. He was breathing hard and his hands that were supposed to be supporting him were shaking underneath him. The Exalt closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing. Once he'd recovered enough, he brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them before looking at the side of the bed that had been empty for nearly two whole years.

 _That_ side of the bed used to be occupied by his wife and the mother of his only child.

Used to be but no longer. Because...

 _She'd sacrificed her life to save the world._

He held back a chocked sob at that thought.

That moment he lost her still hit him hard every single second of every single day despite how much time had passed by. He knew her choice was the _right_ one after all, if she'd allowed him to deliver the final blow to Grima then their descendants in around a thousand years time would have to deal with the hardships and torments that they had faced; her death really had put an end to _everything_. He also knew that if she hadn't delivered the final blow herself then she'd have felt crushing guilt for the rest of her life as that choice would not only have been a huge tactical misjudgement but it'd mean all of the fighting, blood and loss that the Shepherds had faced would've been for naught. She was always selfless, dedicated and rational no matter the consequences and her passing had saved everyone.

But that didn't mean he accepted her decision. Sure it was selfish of him and for an Exalt who was entrusted with the lives of his entire kingdom, if Robin had allowed him to end Grima considering what that entailed, no doubt his Queen would have been the subject of criticism, hatred and dismay from the people and he would've been loathed due to putting the life of one person (and his _wife_ no less) before all of the lives that would be affected in the future. However, Chrom was a man of emotion; he was the one who wanted to give up the Fire Emblem to Gangrel so they could save Emmeryn and he'd also been the one to make Robin promise not to sacrifice herself. But he was also the one who allowed her to join the Shepherds and had trusted her until the bitter end: sometimes allowing emotion to guide decisions was a great thing however, Robin's way of being led by reason was also just as effective as much as it pained him to admit it.

All these rational thoughts that went through his mind over and over again and yet it still didn't make the loss of his over half sting any less. Most people would argue that he should have 'got over it' by now or at least began to move on from it but he just couldn't. She was _his_ everything and not having her was killing him on the inside.

There were only three things that allowed him to continue living on: the first was his beautiful baby girl. He'd had her during the brief time of peace after the war with Plegia ended. She was his light during times of darkness, seeing her made him incredibly happy. He lived for her smile and he saw so much of both himself and Robin in her already despite only being on the verge of turning three. The second was that if he gave up on his family, the Shepherds and Ylisse then Robin would never forgive him especially since both of them had given up so much just so the future could be preserved but Robin had made the ultimate sacrifice which meant that it fell to Chrom to not allow her death to be in vain. Finally, there was still the promise he made to find Robin again even if it took him the rest of his days and even if he had to search every field in the world a hundred times over, Naga had stated if Robin's bonds with her friends and family were strong enough then she may be able to come back one day and going by just his bond with her alone, there was no way that she wouldn't come back. He'd never give up on her, their bond or their future.

He wouldn't have been able to go on without those reasons, he had nothing else to live for, his most important reason to stay alive had left him and he would've followed her if those things didn't give him a reason to keep going.

However, just because he had chosen to live, it didn't lessen his grief or stop the nightmares. It was always the same one...

 _...Chrom was just about to deliver the final blow to Grima when suddenly, the evil dragon still taking on Robin's image was knocked back by a powerful burst of magic. Dread went through Chrom's system, he knew what had happened before he even tried to confirm it: he knew who had killed Grima. When Chrom turned back to look, there was Robin, electric still crackling around her fingertips._

 _"No!" He gasped before rage- blinding, red hot rage- went through him. He knew what this meant. "No, Robin! Why?!"_

 _"Mother!" His children from alternate futures cried out in horror- he wasn't sure about Morgan but he new Lucina had already lost one version of her Mother and now she was expected to watch as another one died because of that vile creature._

 _Chrom turned to face Grima as the dragon snarled at the person who was supposed to become a host for him. Eventually he faded from view._

 _"Heh, good riddance." Robin muttered, smiling slightly._

 _Chrom turned back to his wife. Behind her stood all of their allies throughout this war, all of them looked positively horrified as the realisation hit them that Grima wouldn't be the only one to disappear from their view that day._

 _"Robin...no! Gods no, this can't be happening." He stumbled towards her; his legs felt numb and he couldn't comprehend what had just happened. When he was in front of her, his voice cracked when he spoke up again, "You...you didn't have to do_ this _."_

 _Robin shook her head, "I did, Chrom and as much as you don't want to admit it, you knew I had to do this as well. There's a little baby back at the castle whose descendants in the future would've been affected if I didn't do this, a kingdom which would have despised us both if word had gotten out and so much that would've been in vain if I hadn't delivered the final blow. Emmeryn, Yen'fay, they all would've died for_ nothing _."_

 _There was so much truth to her words that it just made it all the more painful that he was going to lose her; she'd gotten all of the Shepherds through three wars in one piece and yet..._

 _"You can't leave us Robin, you can't leave Lucina but most of all, you can't leave me. Remember? We're two halves of the same whole. I can't go on without you, I don't_ want _to." He was biting back tears, but his control over his grief was beginning to slip._

 _She looked away from him for a moment before moving to place her hands which- like the rest of her- were already beginning to fade from his view on his cheeks, "I...I'm sorry, Chrom, my love. I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you in order to see what a great Exalt and Father you'll become in future; I was looking forward to that. I'm sorry that I broke my promise to let you end Grima so that I wouldn't have to leave your side. But most of all, I'm sorry that I couldn't find another way, if I'd never have joined you on your journey then maybe none of this would ever have happened. I don't regret meeting you or any of the Shepherds one bit nor could I imagine my life without Lucina, Morgan and our baby back at the castle however, my ties to Grima ended up causing so much pain and so it's only right that I should leave this world along with him. It's the only way."_

 _He was about to dispute that claim by reminding her that she wasn't_ him, _she wasn't Grima_ _when she pressed her mouth against his. His eyes closed instinctively which caused him to panic-_ No, I won't be able to see her face!- _But he couldn't stop kissing her back._

 _Eventually, she pulled away. "Goodbye." She murmured, her voice breaking with emotion._

Now, in the real version of events, she faded from view at that moment before Chrom even had the chance to open his eyes to see her one last time, leaving her husband and his army to crumble with the weight of their grief but in his nightmares, things happened a little differently;

 _As she whispered 'goodbye' to him, he finally opened his eyes only for them to widen in horror as she screamed in pain before being consumed by fire. The horrified prince turned back to his army, shaking. He was expecting to lead them back to their camp where they could grieve properly but instead, a bitter-looking Tharja turned to him and sneered "You're such a weak man, in the end you couldn't defeat Grima yourself and now Robin has had to pay the price!"_

 _The version of him in his dreams was shocked and looked around the Shepherds, hoping that at least one of them would argue back against her but instead all of them shared her look of dismay: Miriel, Henry, Vaike, Brady, Libra and even Frederick, Lissa and the alternate Lucina and Morgan were looking at him like he was nothing more than a failure to them._

 _As he pleaded with them to understand that she'd delivered the final blow before he got the chance to, his friends, family and comrades in arms all turned their backs on him simultaneously and left him._

 _Crumpling to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks unchecked, the soon-to-be Exalt of Ylisse gripped the Falchion which was on the ground next to him. He held it up to his chest, ready to press the tip in-_

...And at that moment, the nightmare always ended for which he was grateful.

He sighed and rose from his bed. Things were improving somewhat; he used to have that nightmare every night, now it was approximately three or four times a week but each time it never failed to leave him a quivering, nervous wreck.

He had just managed to get dressed for the day when he heard a knock on the door.

"Enter." He said as he grabbed Falchion so he could carry it at his side.

A nurse maid stood in the doorway. She bowed slightly before stating her business, Lucina wanted him. He bolted from his room when he heard that and entered the room that his little two-year-old occupied. He knew that he had to attend a meeting shortly however, he wouldn't just turn his back on his babe when she needed him.

"Lu-Lu?" He muttered as he picked the girl up from her bed, clutching her tightly to his chest. "What's wrong?" He cooed.

Whenever he was with her, he entered 'Daddy mode', she made him smile even now when practically nothing else could and she was the only thing that helped him get over _that_ nightmare.

The thought of her growing up either without her mother entirely, without knowing anything about her or even despising her mother for leaving her when she was so young was yet another burden that weighed heavily upon the young Exalt's heart.

The little girl made silly noises as she reached up to grip at Chrom's hair which matched the colour of her own. He grinned at her in understanding; she just wanted to spend some time with him. It made him wonder if she'd had a nightmare of her own after all, it would make sense since...

In three days times, it would be exactly two years since she'd lost her mummy and Chrom had lost his wife.

Maybe Lucina knew that something very important was missing despite her young age? If Lucina from the alternate future was anything to go by then _this_ Lucina would inherit her mother's sharp intellect and bubbling curiosity. It would explain why she seemed to become more clingy and grumpy around this time every year and around August- the month of her mother's birth- as well.

Chrom smiled sadly as he thought about that however, he quickly snapped out of it and went on to spend an hour or so playing games with his daughter until a slight knock on the door drew his attention. Frederick was there smiling apologetically at him.

"Milord, pardon the intrusion but the meeting is due to start in ten minutes."

He looked down at the little girl who was happily clapping her hands and singing along to some sort of tune that she was concocting in that head of hers. Grinning to himself he looked back to Frederick again, "I'll be right there."

* * *

Ten minutes later, he was sat in his chair at the head of a large table that was surrounded by advisors, a few of the Shepherds- namely Lissa, Maribelle, Ricken, Libra and Tharja and scribes. Tradition generally dictated that meetings with the Exalt should take place in the throne room but the mere thought of that made Chrom uncomfortable. He'd never been one for formalities; he despised it when people referred to him as 'Milord' or by any other royal title instead of Chrom even though he'd pretty much accepted that'd always be the case. He also disliked it when people tried to treat him as if he was a naïve little boy who needed protecting instead of a fully grown man who had survived three wars and had a child!

His rebellious nature against his royal upbringing just became more prominent shortly before marrying Robin. As she hadn't grown up with the sort of lifestyle that Emmeryn, Chrom and Lissa had (or if she had she couldn't remember it), she found it difficult to adapt. She'd started to live in the castle as soon as the war with Plegia ended since she had nowhere else to live before they were married- of course they'd had separate rooms until their union had taken place- and the royal tutors had taken it upon themselves to try and teach her a lifetime's worth of lessons about life as an 'Exalt's wife' in the space of a few short weeks. Seeing her struggle to adapt and seeing how her inability to cope with it was affecting her and making her feel down had made Chrom realise just how horrible certain aspects of his life could be. Of course, he'd always been aware that some elements of his life were horrible but he was also aware of how compared to life for the majority, he really had no right to complain but he still tried to bring a new outlook and twist to his reign as a result of seeing her hardships.

No one spoke for a moment; the majority of the advisors looked nervous and the atmosphere was almost as intense as a battlefield; whatever they'd summoned Chrom for, he was bound not to like. "Well..." He started awkwardly, holding his chin with his hand. "...I'm not the one who called this meeting, what business do you have with me?"

Silence: either no one was willing to speak up or they were afraid to.

Eventually, an advisor two seats down the table on his left-hand side coughed slightly and stood up, drawing everyone's attention.

"Milord, as you are very much aware, the Halidom of Ylisse has been without a Queen for nearly two years now-"

Chrom's hand froze under his chin and he felt himself tense up all over, his free hand tensing on top of the table. He wasn't the only one who stiffened at this line of conversation, the other Shepherds who had been there on that dreadful day Robin had disappeared from view also reacted badly to the advisor's statement. Even Frederick who was standing behind Chrom to act as a guard- the only one Chrom would ever allow unless either he or his family were being specifically targeted of threatened- sucked in an audible breath which was unusual since nothing seemed to phase him. Well...apart from bear meat.

Chrom only offered a curt nod in the man's direction.

In response, he shifted uncomfortably, clearly regretting volunteering to be the spokesperson. "Well...it is about time for you to consider taking on another wife or at the very least contemplate the possibility of a concubine. You only have one daughter and if anything should happen to her then there would be no one to take her place especially if tragedy struck Princess Lissa as well."

The Exalt couldn't believe that he'd even bothered to come here! He felt disgusted and sickened, bile rising in his throat as his stomach knotted and twisted up. _How dare they!_ He thought to himself, bitterly. It was bad enough that they wanted him to replace Robin as his Queen, wife and as the mother of his child but to then suggest that if he couldn't bear to do that then he should use some woman who would no doubt be _very_ open to the idea of pleasuring him and maybe receiving his child in the process horrified him. He'd learned first hand during his time with the Shepherds and during Emm's reign that not all women were like the ones who grew up in the royal courts or like the ones who spent their lives offering their 'services' to rich and/or powerful men in the hopes of being able to tie themselves to them somehow. the idea that his advisors were so desperate for him to give the Halidom another potential heir to the throne angered him and made him pity their close-minded views.

"M-Milord?" A female advisor spoke up hesitantly.

He met her gaze, _you're okay with this?!_ He wanted to shout at her exasperatedly. Instead he just breathed deeply for a few more moments and closed his eyes before speaking whilst trying to contain his rage. "As Ylisse's Exalt, there is a lot I am willing to do and sacrifice for the sake of my kingdom." The advisors all straightened, looking rather hopefully; _They were expecting him to agree with them on this?_ He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Meanwhile, the Shepherds who were clearly aware that Chrom was barely containing his anger just sunk lower into their seats almost like they were trying to disappear entirely.

Chrom's eyes narrowed into thin slits as he addressed them again. "However, I'm not sure if you recall but Robin was-" - _'Is'_ he mentally corrected himself.- " _My_ wife and Lucina's Mother. My relationship with her was a part of my private life and as such I will not remarry or take on a...a _mistress_ just to appease you or to ease your worries where an heir is concerned."

Another advisor stood up, slamming both of his palms onto the table as frustration began to replace the nerves he was feeling. "With all due respect, Milord, Robin is _dead_ and has been for a long time now; I don't understand why your good self and your 'Shepherds' can't accept a truth that everyone else came to terms with long ago but you have no choice _but_ to move on and as for your 'private life', you don't have one! As our Exalt, your duties are to us and not to yourself in _all_ aspects of your life."

Lissa slammed her own palms against the table now as she rose from her chair, anger written plainly on her face. "Hey, you have no right to say that! Both Chrom and myself are entitled to a private life as long as we don't bring shame upon the Halidom! My brother has made it perfectly clear that he has no interest in remarrying nor does he want the services of a concubine so let the matter drop."

"No! One potential heir isn't enough, it's unfortunate that the situation had to come to this but he can't mourn forever. The Halidom deserves to have a Queen or at the very least they deserve to see the royal family grow."

Chrom waved his hands up into the air exasperated. "Well...this has been a riveting discussion but unless there are other matters to attend to then you'll have to excuse me. We shall have another meeting when there's actually something that _needs_ to be discussed. I refuse point-blank when it comes to this and I don't want to hear another word about it for the rest of my days. Do I make myself clear?!" He snarled through gritted teeth at his advisors around the table, making eye contact with each of them in order to make sure the warning got through to them. Chrom was normally a patient, understanding man but when it came to his wife and family, he wouldn't- _couldn't-_ just stand back and accept things. The wedding band he still wore on his finger seemed to be burning into his skin at that moment as if to say 'Don't forget Robin." As if he ever could!

Normally if Chrom ever became this emotional during a meeting, Frederick would attempt to calm him down but the fact he hadn't this time was a sign that even he believed that Chrom was justified when it came to feeling like this.

When nobody spoke up to object or to bring up anything else, Chrom stormed out of the room with Frederick and the other Shepherds close behind him.

He paid them no mind as he walked though the halls, lost in his own thoughts. Thoughts of a women who came up to just below his chin, allowing him to rest his head upon her own, her beautiful, bright, brown eyes that held so much intelligence and curiosity within them and her ash-blonde hair that she kept in two pony-tails apart from on a few occasions (or whenever they made love because he simply couldn't resist letting her hair spill over her shoulders so he could run his hands through it time and time again). Thoughts of her by his side as they fought in battle after battle. Thoughts of her as they were wrapped in each other's arm, breaths synching with the other's.

He would give up the throne, give up his _life_ before even contemplating the possibility of giving up on her. He would bring her home and he would prove them all wrong.

* * *

Well, this is just the beginning. I hope you enjoyed reading this Chapter and are excited for what's to come. I know I am. Until next time. xXx


	2. Warnings, Threats and Insecurities

Hi,

As this is a consistent story, I won't keep you long with the introductions to each Chapter unless I feel the need to. This is a direct continuation of the last Chapter and I hope you enjoy it.

A huge thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, gave this story a favourite and/or followed it, I appreciate all of your support and I hope that this story continues to capture your interest. =)

 ***Spoilers Warning*** Definite spoilers about the 'true' end of 'Awakening'. Also spoilers about other elements of the plot throughout the game.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing to do with 'Fire Emblem [Awakening]', its locations, characters etc. All rights go to their respective owners.

 **Rated T.** ( ***Warning*** Minor suggestive themes and language.)

* * *

 **Together Again?: Warnings, Threats and Insecurities**

The castle doors burst open as the still seething Exalt stormed out, heading for the nearby garden. he needed some air after that meeting. He needed to get away from all of this, everything was far too...stifling.

When he turned a corner in order to reach his destination, he was surprised to find his daughter playing in the grass whilst being watched over by Cordelia who was holding her recently born babe- Severa- in her arms. It was unknown what had happened to the Severa from the alternate future, like most of the children after the war, she'd gone on to do her own thing but he'd recalled her as a rather sarcastic girl who was very irritable and hated his guts for some reason or another. Lucina looked as bubbly and as happy as usual and seeing her like that calmed him somewhat. That child was born from love, trust and a relationship that was so strong that it couldn't be broken by anything. Not even taking how much it would hurt him into account, bringing another child into the world that wouldn't be born for the same reasons Lucina was would be too cruel especially since there was no way that he could ever bring himself to _want_ another women let alone _love_ them.

Upon seeing her father, the two-year-old half ran, half stumbled over to him, tugging on his pant leg in order to draw his attention. "Pick me..." She ordered him and- being the doting father he was- of _course_ he gave in, scooping her up into his arms.

"Heh, you're such a bossy little thing, just like your mother." He winked at her and she just stared at him in confusion, clearly not understanding his words. One of her large, blue eyes featured the same Brand that adorned one of his arms. It was a sign of their heritage, their blood and their responsibilities. In a way, it was also a curse as well as a blessing however, it was always a symbol that would garner them respect.

"L-Lord Chrom!" Cordelia muttered, finally realising he was there. As always when she was near him, a slight blush would dust over her cheeks and she would lose some of the confidence and grace that she normally carried herself with...and people _always_ noticed her reaction to him well, except for him himself of course, he was oblivious even to this day and Cordelia couldn't help feeling that it was better that way; Robin was his only love and she'd hate to be the one to destroy their bond especially after what she did for all of them.

"Cordelia, thank you for taking care of Lucy for me, I appreciate it." His warm smile made her heart skip a beat.

"I-it was no problem, Milord. I wanted to come out here anyway to give Severa some fresh air." She muttered as she looked down at the tiny bundle in her arms.

Chrom couldn't help but feel his heart melt as he looked at the little baby who was even tinier than Lucina was when she was newly born. Lucina was wriggling about in his arms clearly struggling to break free and eventually Chrom gave into her demands, placing her at his feet before strolling over to sit beside Cordelia on the bench she was currently occupying.

As his little girl went off to go and play again, he sighed to himself, sounding worn out to his own ears.

"Milord?" Cordelia's concerned voice made him meet her gaze.

"Just Chrom, please, we've known each other long enough to be beyond formalities; not like they were ever required..."

No, he never wanted to be referred to by anything other than 'Chrom' even when he first met Robin. Neither he nor Lissa or Fredrick had told her of their attachments to royalty. He still found her reaction when she finally realised that they were royalty and that Frederick was a Royal Knight rather amusing. She'd clued on when Lissa had referred to Emm as their sister and- being the incredibly smart woman she was- of _course_ Robin had picked up on it. She then tried to bow and be respectful only to end up knocking into several stalls and people in the process. It was rather funny but also slightly embarrassing and a perfect example of why he hated royal titles.

Before when he'd just been 'Chrom', he'd been treated no differently from anyone else. He was just another person but the second his royal title came into play, she'd automatically panicked for fear of him being offended by her casual treatment of him when in actual fact he'd appreciated the normalcy of just having people say his name and treat him like any other person.

"C-Chrom...I want to apologise for being out of action lately. The search for Robin and keeping Ylisse safe are both very important and I'm afraid I haven't done much to aid you with either of those tasks as of late..." She trailed off, her red hair bristling in the wind. There was an insecure look in her eyes as she looked down at her daughter.

"Nonsense, Cordelia! You've been pregnant and you gave birth just a month and a half ago; of course you haven't been able to be on the front lines for a while or to help search for Robin, we haven't expected you to be."

She turned her head to the side looking in the direction of Lucina who seemed to be occupying herself by trying to capture a butterfly.

 _Heh, a butterfly._ He found himself reminiscing to the time when the alternate Lucina had come to his time sporting a butterfly mask. She looked so feisty, strong and brave whilst wearing it, the mysterious 'masked man' had come to their aid many times. Chrom could never have predicted who 'Marth' would've turned out to be, not even if he'd been given a million years and limitless guesses.

"It's just...becoming a mum...it's made me think about her." She titled her chin in the direction of Lucy. "About how hard it must be for her to not have Robin in her life. D-Don't get me wrong, you're doing great as a single father! It's just...the kids from the alternate future lost their parents, their versions of us but in this world they all _still_ have or _will_ \- with any luck- have both of their parents except for her. I just wonder how it'll be for Lucina when she grows up and starts to question her friends about their mothers and why she hasn't got one..." Cordelia trailed off, leaving the thought to linger.

Chrom sighed inwardly, every member of the Shepherds that had become a mother- Miriel, Cherche, Sumia and Maribelle thus far- had had a discussion of a similar nature and every time it was brought up, it caused him pain. Of _course_ this line of thinking had occurred to him even without their input! He'd be a fool if he'd at not least considered how hard it'd be for Lucina when she was finally capable of questioning these things. He was grateful that so many people cared for both himself and his daughter however, sometimes he wished that they wouldn't treat him like he was naïve or needed these things pointing out a trillion times before they would sink in.

When Chrom didn't respond Cordelia turned to face him again in order to gauge his reaction in case her line of conversation had upset him but- much to her surprise- she found that he looked as if he was contemplating something and was too lost in thought to continue their discussion. So she just sat in silence and tended to her daughter instead.

 **"Chroom!"** A shrill, high pitched voice called out behind them. The Exalt jumped slightly and turned to see Lissa approaching him, waving her hands like a maniac all the while.

 **"Waaaahh!"** The responding high-pitched noise filled the air as Severa who was just beginning to settle in Cordelia's arms began to cry due to Lissa's sudden unexpected outburst.

Cordelia, sighing to herself stood up and began to bounce the baby in her arms whilst trying to shush her. Chrom could see Lucy covering her ears as she looked over, clearly irritated with the baby's crying.

Chrom could safely say that he didn't miss _this_ part of having a new-born.

"Heh sorry about that, Cordelia." Lissa was now only a few feet from where they stood and was scratching the side of her head awkwardly.

Cordelia just shook her head. "Don't worry Milady, it was an accident and I should probably take her inside now anyway." Bowing as best she could in Lissa's direction, she then started to walk back towards the castle.

Lissa puffed her cheeks out in frustration. "When will she stop being so formal with me?!"

Chrom's amused smile caught his younger sister's attention as she came to join him on the bench.

She let out a breath as she rested her arms against her knees and placed her head on her palms. "Well... _that_ could've gone better."

Chrom found himself nodding in agreement. "Yes, honestly, did you really have to yell like that? Young babies are so hard to settle-"

"No not _that!"_ Lissa rolled her eyes at her brother. "I meant the meeting."

Chrom froze.

"I'm sorry Chrom, all of the Shepherds are; if we'd had any clue what the meeting was going to be about then we would've cancelled it before even approaching you to tell you about it." She frowned as she took in her brother's face. He was slightly older-looking than he had been during the war. Of course he'd aged- that much was obvious- however the majority of his physical changes seemed to have been caused by exhaustion more than anything since he still retained a rather youthful appearance for his age despite the circles around his eyes and the cautious way he held himself since Robin's 'death'.

Chrom just shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. "No need to concern yourself with it. The advisors are there to give the people a voice; they were just doing their job."

Lissa folded her arms across her chest and pouted. "Yeah, at _your_ expense! Honestly, I wonder if Emm ever had to put up with 'advice' like that?! I mean...I get that serving the will of the people is important but...to ask you to move on from Robin just so you can have more kids is disgusting and downright creepy if you ask me. I mean anyone would think you're just a spe-"

Chrom quickly placed a hand over her mouth in panic "Woah-kay, don't finish that sentence, _please_. You're my sister, I never want to hear words like that leaving your mouth, do you understand?"

Lissa grabbed at his hand, an amused glint in her eyes. "I'm not a little kid anymore, Chrom. I know _how_ babies are made."

Chrom groaned in frustration. Shaking his head to try and deny Lissa's words: _you're still my baby sister to me though! You always will be!_

They sat in silence for a brief moment before Chrom spoke up again. "Lissa...do you think I'm being selfish?"

Her eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

Chrom looked at his daughter out of the corner of his eye, clearly ignoring her father and auntie as she continued to be an uncontrollable bundle of energy. "Well...my baby girl doesn't have a mother nor does she have any siblings to play with. Ylisse has been without a Queen for nearly a couple of years and all I can think of is how I'd rather _die_ than replace Robin and that- even if I did agree to remarry- I'll never be able to marry a woman that I actually care for." His hands balled into fists. "Sure, when it comes to my private life, of course I think it's of no business to the Halidom whether I'm married or not or whether I have a woman who is carrying my child but for Lucina...how can I allow her to grow up without a mother to look up to or at least one sibling to take care of?" His mind drifted to thoughts of the alternate Lucina's relationship with Morgan; they were incredibly close and always had each other's backs no matter what. ...In this world, unless they found Robin, Morgan wouldn't even exist!

This time, it was Lissa's turn to cover her brother's mouth with her hand before he could carry on spouting such ridiculous nonsense. "Now you listen to me, Chrom! Lucina _does_ have a mother; Robin! She may not be with her right now but she _will_ be one day- you're the one who keeps reminding us Shepherds about that when yet another day goes by without her return. When she does come back, how would she feel knowing that you remarried or had gotten a woman pregnant _just_ to keep the Halidom appeased? Because it wouldn't be for your benefit _or_ Lucina's for that matter regardless of how you twist it.

"Speaking of Lucina, how would it look to her if you remarried or had a child with some random woman she's never met? Her mother was a hero who saw the Shepherds through three wars! Who- against all the odds- took on her destiny and won and who sacrificed everything to save the world. She wasn't just some woman who bore you a child; she was- and is- your other half, your soulmate and your _wife_. You can tell just by watching little Lucy that even though her Mummy isn't with her or with you right now, she knows that she was born out of love and that means more to her than just having some random woman try to fill the role of 'Mother figure' for her in Robin's absence. There isn't anyone who would even come close to being on a _par_ with her mother, let alone someone who could outright _replace_ her."

Chrom let his sister's words sink in for a moment as she shifted so she could stare straight into his eyes with her own that were pleading with him to believe her. "Please don't let what your advisors tell you or what other people tell you break you. Remember when you decided to follow in Emm's footsteps by following your heart? Well, as your sister, I can tell that if you did this, you wouldn't be doing that and it would kill you on the inside more than losing Robin already has done."

Suddenly, a steely determination filled Chrom's gaze. _Lissa's right._ He thought to himself. _I can't let them get to me, I can't let them break me!_

"Thank you, Lissa. You're right of course, I guess I'm just in a vulnerable place right now."

Lissa moved away and smiled slightly at her brother, "Don't worry, we all know you're capable of being a big dolt sometimes." She winked at him and he laughed. "-And besides...in three days time we'll be marking two years since her disappearance, I think you have a right to be insecure right now."

The mood between the siblings became sombre as they got lost in their own memories of Robin. Lissa recalled how after Emm's official funeral, Robin had held her in an embrace as she cried, never leaving her side even when people kept trying to call her away. Eventually, a stricken Chrom found them both and Robin had just opened her arms to allow for him to join his sister and the siblings grieved together until they fell asleep in Robin's arms.

The next morning when they awoke, Robin was already up and about; she didn't mention their show of weakness again for which they were _both_ grateful.

Whilst Chrom recalled the first morning he'd woken up with her next to him after their union. Her eyes were still half lidded and she looked so content in his arms. He'd expected her to be embarrassed at their state of undress but in actual fact, he was the only one who felt uncomfortable and Robin had teased him about it all that morning.

"Chrom-?" Lissa said his name then seemed to hesitate.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Hmm? What is it?"

Lissa thought about coming straight out with it and then decided to beat around the bush. "Do you...do you remember Owain?"

 _How could I forget?_ Chrom thought to himself, recalling his eccentric nephew who was the exact opposite of Lucina in every way. He was loud, brash and excitable. Admittedly, it took Chrom some time to warm up to the young man simply because of how different his personality was from his own but eventually he was able to accept Owain and his more elaborate way of doing things and they'd developed an incredibly close bond.

"Yes, I do. He's my nephew after all."

"Well...err..how should I put _this_? I'm...expecting." She coughed slightly, trying to disguise the word 'expecting'.

But of course he picked up on it..."What?! Owain is paying us a visit?"...

 _...And completely missed the point she was trying to make..._ Lissa sighed in exasperation. "No Chrom as in I'm _expecting-_ you know- a baby?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh. _Oh!"_ His eyes widened in shock as the news began to sink in. "Oh..."

"Geez, Chrom, you got anything else to say." She frowned, decidedly unimpressed.

All of a sudden, Chrom pulled his sister into a hug. "Congratulations, Lissa! I'm happy for you."

"Yo-you are?!"

Chrom nodded seemingly genuine.

"*Few* I'm glad to know, I thought you'd end up breaking something namely my husband."

They laughed with one another for a time; the mood had lightened somewhat. Until...

 _ **"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH...!"**_ Lucina's ear-splitting scream drew the attention of Lissa and Chrom. To begin with, they'd both just assumed that she'd tripped over a rock or something however, as they took in the scene around them, they realised that Lucina was looking at something, pointing at it in fear.

Chrom bolted in the direction of his daughter. "Lu-Lu, what is it? What's wro-"

He was cut off as he took at the object his daughter was pointing at, just inches away from Lucy's feet, an arrow was stuck in the grass with a note attached. Chrom had his daughter in his arms in an instant, wrapping her tight in his embrace as he surveyed the sky to see if he could spot anymore arrows or a culprit of some sort.

While he was distracted, Lissa bent down to pick up the note, just managing to scoop it up in time before a strong grip on her arm pulled her back.

"What do you think you're doing didn't you see the arrow protruding from the ground?!" Chrom seethed through gritted teeth.

Lissa just ignored him as she read the single line on the note once in her head before whispering it out loud.

* * *

 _'We're coming for you...'_

* * *

"Is that really all it says?" Chrom spat out.

Lissa nodded, her eyes widening in horror.

Lucina whimpered as she buried her face further into Chrom's chest. She wasn't used to seeing her dad when he was angry but luckily, she knew he wasn't angry at her.

Chrom's arm tightened around his daughter protectively as he planted a kiss against her forehead when all of a sudden, a breathless voice reached them. "Milord, Milady! Are you two okay? How's Lucina, I heard her screaming?" Frederick approached them looking even more stern than usual.

"We-we're all right but Lucina almost got impaled with an arrow." Lissa cried.

 **"What?!"** Frederick growled, his eyes narrowing.

"Whoever did this was also nice enough to leave this." Chrom muttered sarcastically as he directed Lissa to give the note to Frederick.

After he read it, Frederick, Chrom and Lissa all agreed it was best to go inside for the time being. As soon as he was in, Chrom ordered Frederick to increase the Guard and to initiate the general procedure for when threats against the Royal Family occurred to which Frederick agreed to do.

Comfortable in the knowledge that Frederick was taking care of things, Chrom took his young daughter up to his room with Lissa close on his heels.

Once inside, he lay the young girl down on her mother's side of the bed; it was the first time that it had been occupied since Robin's sacrifice and it pained him to see if being taken up by someone else even if it was his daughter- _she should be sleeping between both her parents when she's afraid-_ he thought but desperate times called for desperate measures and there was no way he was letting Lucina out of his sight for a second after what had just happened.

As she lay sleeping, Chrom brushed his hand repeatedly through her hair as Lissa paced back and forth in a panic.

"That arrow was fired at Lucina does that mean that the note is referencing..." She chocked on her words.

"Probably" Chrom muttered, his anger returning. "They're after her which means we'll have to keep our security up and sleep with one eye open. I won't let _anything_ happen to her. I could never live with myself if anything hurt her and besides...Robin would probably kill me if I did."

"Robin."- Lissa sighed, plonking herself down in a chair.- "If she was here, she'd know what to do; where we should focus our resources and guards."

"But unfortunately she _isn't_ here which means we'll have to rely on our own initiatives."

"What's one of those?" Lissa joked before her expression became stern. "Chrom? ...You know like every year, at around this time and around Robin's birthday; you, myself and Frederick all go to look for Robin ourselves rather than leaving it to the others?"

"Yes?" Chrom turned around slightly surprised by Lissa's line of questioning.

"Well...how will this affect it? Will we still be going to search for her even now?"

"Of course." There was no hesitation in his voice. "I'll leave Lucina in the care of the other Shepherds, they're more than capable of protecting her in our absence."

Lissa nodded to herself, "Yes...I agree..."

* * *

 **"What do you mean we're bound to the inside of the castle?!"** Lissa cried as Frederick delivered the news.

Both herself and Chrom were sat on one of the sofas whilst Frederick was stood in front of them. It was kind of nostalgic since all three of them used to have the same positioning whenever Frederick was scolding them but right now it was incredibly irksome.

"In order to keep you all safe, you need to remain in the castle. You're not even allowed outside on the castle grounds unless you're heavily guarded or escorted. May I remind you that just yesterday Lucina was attacked with an arrow?"

"Of course you don't!" Chrom seethed. "But we always go to look for Robin, we did so during the first few months she was missing and we did so again last year and we're going to _this_ year."

Frederick turned away, he really didn't want to go against Chrom's and Lissa's wishes- he _really_ didn't- especially since he shared them however, his hands were tied. It was his duty to protect the Royal Family at all costs.

He made that point clear and Chrom just sneered at him. "Robin is a part of the Royal Family- she's Ylisse's Queen for crying out loud!"

"Milord I- I really don't want to cause you further upset however, we must adapt as the world changes around us. Yes, we're able to look for Robin _when_ we're at liberties to do so but right now, we're not and so we _can't_." Before they could argue back, Frederick turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.

Lissa's bottom lip began to tremble and as soon as Frederick was out of earshot, she turned to her brother. "C-Chrom...what are we going to do?"

Chrom turned to face his sister, feeling just as uncertain as she looked. "I don't know-" He murmured before wrapping his sister up in his arms, closing his eyes in an attempt to hold back his tears. "-I just do not know."

* * *

So...yeah, there was a lot of dialogue in this Chapter. Well...a lot more than I had intended. xD But hopefully it added a lot to the characters. Also, Robin does make her reappearance in this Story sooner rather than later, maybe within the next Chapter or so unless something crops up that I think needs to be covered. Well, I hope you liked this. Until next time. xXx


	3. Happy Reunions?

So...are you ready for Chapter Three? I bet you are.

Also, 'Echoes' is released next week, aren't you just so excited? I can hardly stand the wait myself.

 ***Spoilers Warning*** Definite spoilers about the 'true' end of 'Awakening'. Also spoilers about other elements of the plot throughout the game.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing to do with 'Fire Emblem [Awakening]', its locations, characters etc. All rights go to their respective owners.

 **Rated T.** ( ***Warning*** Suggestive themes and language.)

* * *

 **Together Again?: Happy Reunions?**

 _On that night Chrom entered the tent he shared with his wife. He was a lot more tense than usual which made sense since tomorrow, they'd be facing their final battle against Grima. The Fell Dragon who had caused them so much suffering and pain both in this universe and in others. They'd put a stop to him, no matter what it took._

 _He had spent the majority of the evening preparing the Exalted Flachion for the tough battle ahead and- of course- so it'd be ready to deliver the final blow against_ that _monster._

 _With his resolve strengthened, he decided to follow his own advice which he'd given to the other Shepherds:_ "Make sure you all get and early night and plenty of rest, you're going to need it."

 _When he let the tent flap close behind him, he turned around and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw Robin sat at their desk seemingly working on something. Of course, it wasn't strange to find his wife in_ their _tent [obviously] but it_ was _strange to find her here so early on. Out of all of the Shepherds, he thought that Robin would be the one to rebel against his advice to get to sleep early since she tended to have difficulty with early nights. She liked working until late on in the evening (or until early in the morning depending on how you look at it). He'd been prepared to go on a 'hunt for Robin' in order to try to convince her to go to bed at the same time as him; he'd even had a speech prepared in order to convince her to go to bed and everything!_

 _Robin didn't seem to notice him entering nor did she hear him approach her which was odd considering his boots were hardly capable of allowing for him to sneak about especially where their seemingly ever-aware tactician was involved._

 _"What are you up to?" He asked her leaning one of his arms against the table and placing the other on her back, he felt her jump slightly under his palm, clearly taken by surprise. Her eyes were wide as they found his face, she seemed almost afraid of him and was trying to shrink away from his touch. She was trying to cover up whatever she was working on with her arms and her face had become rather flustered._

 _"C-Chrom!?" She stuttered._

 _He smiled at her, trying to reassure her, "Are you going over the plan for tomorrow?"_

 _"What?!" He nodded his head in the direction of the paper on the desk. "Err...yeah...something like that." She grabbed a single sheet and placed it in a secret pocket on the inside of her cloak._

 _As she stood up and began to tidy up, he reached out to her and pulled her into an embrace. "I don't want you worrying about tomorrow okay? We're going to put an end to everything-_ I'm _going to put an end to everything. By tomorrow night, we'll all be on our way back to Ylisse and you and I will get to see our baby again, you'll see." The trust he felt for her was evident on his face; he was so confident about the outcome of tomorrow: with all of the Shepherds on his side, there was no way they were going to lose!_

 _Robin just turned her head to the side; there seemed to be a glint of pain in the corner of her eyes._ Is it possible that she's considering...? _No! He let that train of thought go almost as quickly as it had arrived._ She promised me that she wouldn't sacrifice herself, there's no way that she'd go back on her word!

 _"Lucina...how can I..." He thought he heard her mumble. During their war with Valm and now the current battles against Validar and Grima, both of them- whilst grateful to have the alternate Lucina and their son Morgan by their side- missed their new-born babe that they hadn't seen since Flavia had first summoned them to Ferox. Chrom couldn't wait to see her again and he knew Robin had been anticipating her reunion with their little girl as well._

 _He placed two fingers under her chin, tilting her face so she'd meet his gaze. "Robin, what's wrong? I've already told you, don't worry about tomorrow, everything is going to be-"_

 _He was cut off suddenly by the pressure of her lips on his own. His eyes closed and his arms tightened around her. She was pressing herself up against him, running a hand over his chest whilst her other one gripped at his hair, holding him there._

 _He somehow managed to pull back slightly, "Ma-maybe we shouldn't do_ that _until we're back home, my love? Especially since we need our rest for tomorrow." He somehow got out between shaky breaths, it was always next to near impossible for him to turn her down._

 _Her eyes were wide and her lips swollen from their kissing, her chest was heaving with her own uneven breaths-_ Gods give me strength!- _He thought. "Please Chrom, I need_ this _right now...please?"_

 _Almost as if he was in a trance, he leaned down to press his lips against hers again and they went on to spend the next while in utter bliss._

 _...Afterwards, with them both still breathing hard, he pulled Robin tight against his bare chest, running his fingers through her hair as she snuggled in close._ She's perfection. _He thought to himself. He loved her with all that he was and in just a few short days, they'd be back in Ylisstol safe and sound, having achieved the peace that they'd been fighting so long and hard for._

 _His eyes were just beginning to drift shut when Robin spoke his name. "Hmm...?" He murmured sleepily._

 _"Will you promise me something?" She asked almost hesitantly._

 _His eyes snapped open and landed upon her bare figure which was now looming above him. One of her hands was pressed against his face forcing him to meet her eyes which were staring into his own intently. "Depends on what it is." His breath fanned over her face as he replied._

 _Her gaze didn't falter as she bluntly stated her request, "Promise me that no matter what you'll never forget that I love you with all that I am. You were the start of my life and you've made every second of every day a precious joy to live through for which I will always be grateful."_

 _He used his arms to push himself up slightly, "What's brought all this on?" He asked her curiously._

 _In response she just shook her head and pecked his lips before pulling back. "Just...promise me that no matter what- no matter how difficult things become or that if you ever feel like you can't go on, just remember my love for you and you'll be okay again. Please?"_

 _Although he was feeling rather confused by how urgently she needed him to make this vow to her, he still agreed to it._ How could I ever forget how much you love me, you make it clear to me every day?

 _After he'd agreed to her request, she quickly relaxed against him again. "Thank you." She whispered into his ear before snuggling up close to him._

 _He let his own eyes close again, "Goodnight, my love."_

 _"Goodnight Chrom..." Then the next and final thing she said to him that night was so softly spoken that he just presumed that he'd imagined it until what happened the next day:_

 _"...Thank you...and goodbye..."_

* * *

 **...**

 **... ...**

 **... ... ...**

Chrom's eyes snapped open, ready to greet the day ahead of him. Or at least he _wished_ that that was the case but the tears streaming down his face because of the dream he'd had suggested otherwise...and it _was_ a dream- not a nightmare. Albeit, it was a bittersweet one simply because it was a dream about their last night together. A dream about the last time that they'd made love before her sacrifice, a dream about their final promise and a dream that- whenever he experienced it- he wished that he could've changed a lot of things that had happened that night.

He wished that he'd questioned her more, he wished that he'd held her tighter, he wished that he'd caught onto her plans so that he could've forced her to stay behind or- in failing that- he'd used his knowledge of her plans to make sure that he landed the final blow before she'd gotten the chance to. He wished that he'd looked over her shoulder at the papers on the desk because then he would've seen that she was writing a final message to him, the two Lucinas and Morgan. There was so much he should've done and said however, he couldn't turn back time all he _could_ do was make sure that he got the chance to see her again and to correct his mistakes.

She'd handed the note to the alternate Lucina just before delivering the final blow and when they'd read it together, it had just added to their grief. The fact that all of them were so powerless to help her when she'd done so much for them was nearly unbearable for the Shepherds. The night that followed and their journey back to Ylisse had been fraught with tension and despair. Many of the children from the alternate future fled when the adults were asleep after leaving their own notes to say their goodbyes, thank yous and to mention that they'd keep an eye out for Robin and get in touch if they found anything. Tharja was being snappy with everyone (especially with Chrom) and was blaming them for Robin's fate although it was clear she was just ashamed of her own failings and Chrom himself was too grief stricken to be able to do anything to help the friends and loved ones who had supported him for so long.

Luckily with time and determination, the Shepherds were back to being at their best and doing what they loved to do: helping people in need. However, they still yearned for their tactician and Chrom _needed_ his wife.

Which was why since Frederick had told both of the royal siblings about the fact they were 'housebound', they'd tried to come up with a million and ones way to convince 'Frederick the Wary' to let them go and look for Robin. The anniversary was two days away and it'd take them a full day to travel to Southtown which was the first place they always checked as well as the surroundings fields.

Chrom had ended up going to bed a lot later than intended due to having a discussion with Frederick about his stance on the subject late into the night.

 _"Milord I...I don't want to be the one to prevent you from finding Robin; I know she means the world to you but, I have my orders: 'Keep the Exalt, his daughter and his sister safe at all costs.' and even if that cost is our friendship, I won't go against my duty again. The last time I did, Lady Emmeryn paid the price, I won't allow for anything like that to be repeated!"_

Chrom couldn't bring himself to keep on arguing with him after that; Emmeryn's death had deeply affected them all and he knew that to this day, Frederick still felt somewhat responsible as did Chrom himself.

Instead, Chrom had adopted a new approach- one which he and Lissa had both agreed to before they'd retired to their rooms and one that had them both on edge...

He shook his head to clear the thoughts from his head, if he wanted their plan to succeed then he had to act as naturally as possible.

As he left his room, he saw his daughter walking as best she could through the halls accompanied by Lissa.

"Getting some practise in are we?" He grinned at his little sister as she trailed behind her young niece and in response she just rolled her eyes at him and stuck her tongue out at him making him smile wider.

"Dada." Lucina gurgled, approaching her father.

"-And how are you this morning?" He asked, looking down at her.

"She seems a bit down this morning, she was giving her maids a hard time so I had to step in."

He shot a disapproving frown at his daughter and she frowned back at him in protest. "Hmm...she really _is_ a grumpy one today, isn't she?"

Lucy- having changed her mind about wanting her father to pick her up- started towards a different hallway that contained the music room and the art room amongst others.

Lissa raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest as she watched her niece go. "Where is she going?"

Chrom shrugged. "I have no idea however, we should follow her."

As the two of them strolled after the little girl, they were surprised when she came to a stop in front of a large portrait. Upon seeing it, Lissa let out a choked gasp, her hand reaching up to clutch her throat. Chrom stiffened as his own eyes fell upon the painting. It was of himself and Robin whilst she was pregnant with Lucina. His hand was resting lightly upon one of her shoulders and he was smiling down at her and her bump whilst she was holding one of his hands and cupping her swollen belly with the other. She was gazing up at him with such love and adoration in her eyes that it melted his heart just looking at the painting.

Lucy pointed up at the female figure in the painting. "Ma!" She squealed.

"Y-yes, that's your mother." Lissa confirmed.

Chrom just stood in silence. he'd obviously gone out of his way to make sure that Lucy knew as much about her mother as it was possible for her to since she was only two but for her to actually lead them to this painting of her and say 'Ma', it was both the most beautiful and the most painful thing in the world.

"Where she?" Lucina was looking at her father with curious eyes when she asked this question and Chrom met her questioning gaze with as steady a look as he could muster.

Chrom scooped her up as Lissa sidled up to his side in order to pat his arm reassuringly. "She-she had to go away in order to keep you safe, your family safe, the whole world safe."

She pouted at his words before resting her head against his chest. "She come back?"

Chrom looked at the painting again, "She will do...one day."

All three of them got lost in their own thoughts for a moment before Lissa leaned over and whispered into Chrom's ear, "Are we still going through with the plan tonight?"

"Yes." He murmured before turning away from the painting to go about his day.

* * *

That night they set their plan in motion. Lissa created a distraction by telling the guards that she heard a noise near the main hall and as a result, Chrom 'ordered' the majority of his guards there for the evening apart from the ones that were guarding his daughter and her room; he wouldn't put _her_ at risk, _obviously_.

About an hour after that, he pulled on a cloak, lifted the hood and began a descent from his window. Once he was safely out he made sure the coast was clear before heading to the designated meeting spot that he'd agreed on with Lissa; next to the hole in the wall he'd made during a training session. It was the first she'd heard of the hole and she'd scolded him about it despite the fact that he'd done it years ago!

Due to her pregnancy, Lissa's escape was to sneak out of the secret passage near her room that was there in case of emergencies. When she finally made it to the castle grounds, she started to run towards him with a bag of supplies in her arms. "Chrom!" She called out his name as she approached. "Were you spotted?"

Chrom shook his head, "No...were you?"

"Nope."

"Good, lets keep it that way, come on!" Motioning with a wave of his arm, he helped Lissa to get through the hole before following suit. Once they were out of the castle grounds, they were just about to make a run for it when a horse cut in front of them.

"Fr-Frederick!" Chrom cried, brining his arms up to shield his face.

Frederick's disapproving frown was visible despite the darkness of the night as he spoke, "Milord, Milady, just what do you two think you're doing?"

"We-we've made it this far, we aren't turning back now!" Lissa tried to sound confident but her voice was shaking either from adrenaline or fear or both, Chrom couldn't tell.

Frederick just stared down at them from on top of his horse before he sighed at them. "Milord, Milady, how did you _not_ expect me to find your orders to the majority of the guards suspicious? It was clearly a diversion and not a very clever one at that."

Chrom grimaced he had to admit Frederick _was_ the big worry with their plan but he thought it may take him a little bit more time to catch on or even to catch _up_ with them- if they got lucky. ...Turns out that was wishful thinking.

"However...it is clear that no matter what we try, you two will still go and hunt for Robin and I'd rather that if you go then you're well guarded considering the threats made against you than you two going without proper supervision."

Both Chrom and Lissa's head snapped up in surprise. "You-you mean-?" Lissa's eyes were wide as she spoke.

"Get on the horse, Milady; the journey is too long for you to walk especially since you've lost some sleep thanks to your little 'escape attempt'."

Lissa shoved the supplies into Chrom's arms before running towards Frederick and resting a hand on his arm. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She giddily clambered up onto his horse as Frederick met his Lord's grateful gaze.

"Are you coming or what, Milord?"

With a grin on his face, Chrom joined his sister and closest friend as they began yet another search for their lost Shepherd.

* * *

Their journey throughout the day was relatively uneventful, nothing really happened and by the time they set up camp, they had almost reached Southtown. It was agony having to rest for the night knowing that the field where they found Robin was almost in touching distance however, it was important for them to ease up for the time being especially due to Lissa's pregnancy; it wouldn't have been fair to make her travel through the night as well as through the day despite her insistence she'd be okay with such a thing.

Chrom couldn't help but recall Robin's pregnancy with Lucina when he saw his sister. As soon as he'd learned the she was bearing his child, he became incredibly protective of her (maybe even embarrassingly so) but he couldn't help it. At that time, her pregnancy meant there were three reasons why she may have been a target; first was the fact she was a master tactician, second was the fact she was Chrom's wife and then there was the pregnancy itself- it didn't take a genius to work out that if a criminal wanted to have a hold over Chrom and over House Ylisse in general then Robin was the prime target.

Of course- as a tactician- that _had_ occurred to her as well so she was very understanding of his desire to keep her safe and for the most part she found his fretting amusing, much to his dismay, but there were times it irritated her like nothing else. For example, the fact that she could no longer go out to battle with the Shepherds when they were called away to deal with bandits or the remaining groups of Risen that remained after the war with Plegia had ended really annoyed her especially since she felt useless because of it despite- in Chrom's opinion- her having the most important job out of _all_ of them at that point in time. She also didn't like the way that everyone in the castle fussed over her all the time; she liked her freedom and being able to do her own thing and so to have everyone from a kitchen maid to a high-ranking general fawning over her was really difficult for her to deal with. Finally, she loved her routines: late nights, hours of reading both books about tactics and books for leisure, practising spells and her swordplay, talking with her friends, getting used to being a part of the Royal Family, were all things that brought her incredible amounts of joy however- her love of never taking breaks and never allowing herself to rest for a moment was obviously very dangerous for both her health and that of the baby. It worried not just Chrom himself but everyone who knew of her habits about how much of a toll such a lack of rest was taking on just _her_ health let alone that of a growing babe!

Obviously, Robin herself was also anxious about their baby and wanted to protect her or (since they didn't know the gender at the time) him as best she could but she was used to running herself into the ground in order to help the Shepherds at the expense of her own well-being. Maybe it was because she felt the need to prove herself? Maybe it was because she thought she was strong enough to be able to withstand anything? Or maybe it was just a testament to how much she cared? But regardless, it was still difficult for her to accept her circumstances during the pregnancy no matter how happy she was to be with child.

Chrom couldn't help but smile fondly at the memory of those months; _it was probably thanks to seeing that painting yesterday,_ he mused. It'd made all of his memories resurface. During her pregnancy; they'd both found peace. Chrom had always wanted to be a father and that wish was going to come true. At that time, he'd thought _nothing_ could go wrong and that he'd have it all with the love of his life and his progeny by his side.

...How wrong could he have been?

Sighing to himself, he decided to put his head down for the night.

After a few hours of peaceful slumber, he was stirred awake by a movement in the bushes. To begin with he thought that it was just Lissa or Frederick but once he heard it again, he sat up, suddenly alert.

"Well...this seems familiar." He muttered, dread filling him. He took in his surroundings and started to push himself up when he found a strange marking on the ground; an arrow made from sticks pointing in the direction he'd heard the noise.

Grabbing his cloak and fastening it around his neck and grabbing Falchion, he started in the direction that the 'arrow' was pointing.

After a while of walking, he thought that he was just being led on a wild goose chase however he eventually came across a clearing and in the centre of that clearing stood a figure with their back turned that looked a lot like...

Chrom gasped, "Lucina?! Is that...you?"

The figure turned, a slight smile on her lips and a wary look on her face. "Hello Father, it's good to see you again after all this time."

Yes...he hadn't seen Lucina since the war had ended. She'd returned to Ylisse unlike the majority of the children but had left without a word soon after much to Chrom's upset. The alternate (and completely grown up) version of his daughter who had endured so much before coming to aid the Shepherds in this world. He still recalled with perfect clarity the moment when she'd revealed her true identity to him; how much it had broken his heart to learn just how badly he'd let her down in her world and to see her break down in tears due to the weight of her grief and sadness.

Without even thinking, he ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her frame as tightly as he possibly could and she returned his embrace with just as much enthusiasm.

After a long moment in silence together like that, Chrom pulled back to look at his daughter. "What are you doing here?"

She pulled away herself, her hand moving to grip the Parallel Falchion. "I...I came here to look for Mother. I've been looking for her ever since the war ended to no avail, I figured I'd go back to basics and try looking for her in the place you two claimed to meet. I didn't expect to see you here though."

Chrom's eyebrows pulled together in confusion as he tilted his head to the side, "Why not?"

She hesitated before answering. "I heard about the threat made against you and baby Lucina and I also heard that your castle had pretty much gone into lockdown since; I didn't expect you'd be able to get away."

Leaning against a tree, Chrom folded his arms across his chest as he smiled at his daughter. "I almost didn't, if it wasn't for Lissa and Frederick I'd still be prevented from looking for Robin. How did you hear about the threat?"

Lucina's hold on her sword tightened even further, "My apologies but...I aren't at liberties to talk about that at the moment."

Chrom was about to object to his daughter's reluctance but thought better of it. _She'll tell me when she thinks it's necessary to do so._

"I'm sorry, Father but I must be on my way, I just...wanted to see you again. Promise me that if you find Mother you'll take good care of her no matter what and give her both my love and Morgan's."

Chrom nodded, "I will."

Lucina started to walk away when something occurred to Chrom, "Wait!"

Lucina froze and turned her head to the side, waiting for him to continue.

"Why do you have to go and...and...why did you leave Ylisstol after the war? We told you that we wanted you to stay-"

"-And believe me, it was my intention _to_ stay mainly because Mother swore that she'd come up with _some_ way to justify my presence by your side however, after what happened in the fight against Grima- after she...left us, I knew that regardless of what excuses the House of Ylisse could come up with, even if they heard them from your own lips, they'd still suspect something was going on. I mean, your wife just 'died' and yet you would be seen in the presence of another and one with the Brand no less! I couldn't risk bringing shame to you _or_ to Mother considering what you both did..." She drifted off.

Chrom's hand clenched into a fist, _Just how much will my title as Exalt destroy?_ "You should've been able to stay," He spoke though gritted teeth. "Regardless of the circumstances, you shouldn't have felt like you weren't welcome."

"Heh, passionate as always about things that are unjust, I see." Her eyes danced with amusement. "But don't worry after me, I'm doing okay for myself. Also, in regards to why I have to go now, I can't go into details- not just yet- however, I will tell you that it has something to do with the threats made against you and Lucy. I'm sorry I can't reveal more but right now, I only have theories and I don't want to unnecessarily worry you for naught."

Tensing at the thought that there was some sort of conspiracy or something that was behind the attack the other day, Chrom was tempted to pry further however he knew she was right, worrying about things that would later turn out to be falsities would be an unwise move.

"Well...I really must be going but before I do, I just have one more thing to say: I also know about your advisors asking you to take on a new _wife_ or _consort_." She spat clearly disliking the idea as much as Chrom did. "Hopefully this'll be a moot point as you'll find Mother during your current search but if you don't, no matter what happens or how long it is before you find Mother again, don't give in! Because you _will_ find her, I just know it. You really were so close in my time, I couldn't imagine the two of you apart let alone with someone else entirely, it pains me greatly just to think of it. Never give up on her, Father, _please_."

Before he could respond, she walked away without looking back at the man who was her everything.

* * *

The following morn, there was a solemn mood in their small camp simply because it marked the anniversary of Robin's sacrifice.

That morning two years ago, they and the other Shepherds were under the impression that all of them would be returning safely to Ylisse however in the end, they'd lost one of their closest friends and companions and Chrom has lost his wife.

As they made their way through Southtown, Chrom lagged behind, lost in his own thoughts. In fact, he was so distracted that he didn't spot Lissa sidling up next to him. "Chrom?"

The sound of his name made him jump as he turned to face his sister.

"Don't be too disappointed if she's not there. This is just the beginning of our search and even if we don't find her now, we'll find her someday and until then, we'll all help each other through no matter what." Her smile was reassuring but it was clear that she was on edge as well.

"Thank you, Lissa."

As they continued to complete the rest of their walk in silence, Chrom felt his stomach beginning to clench due to how tense he was. By midday, they'd approached the field where they'd first found Robin.

He could recall that day like the back of his hand, they'd just been patrolling around the borders of Southtown as per usual when something in the distance caught Lissa's eye. Both herself and Chrom had rushed over and there he saw her- the woman who would go on to change his life in a million different ways.

The mood was melancholic as Chrom closed his eyes, he was afraid to open them in case all he saw was an empty field.

Suddenly he felt a strong pressure tapping his arm. "Chrom, look!" Lissa gasped, her voice excited.

He felt his eyes snap open as he turned to face where she was pointing.

He heard Frederick suck in a breath behind him. "Thank the Gods."

There...in the exact same spot they'd found her the first time, Robin lay. Her blonde hair glinting in the sun and her chest falling and rising with her breaths. Chrom staggered towards her and it took all of his strength to avoid falling to his knees and breaking down in relief.

He felt Lissa come up behind him. "Chrom, we have to do SOMETHING."

Recognising the familiar line, he chocked back a sob as he weakly spoke the next line. "What do you propose we do?"

"I... I dunno..."

Just then, Robin's eyes began to flutter open, revealing their depths to him again and he gasped at the exact same moment Lissa did.

He looked down at her, "I see you're awake now."

"Hey there!" Lissa's soft voice barely registered in Chrom's mind.

"There're better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know. Give me your hand." Almost like he was in a trance, his hand stretched out towards her and she hesitantly placed her own warm palm into his. He quickly noticed the lack of Grima's mark on the back of her hand, a sign that this wasn't a dream but was actually _happening_.

He pulled her to her feet but she seemed a little unsteady and she fell against his chest, his hands gripping her arms to keep her upright as he took in her face. "Welcome back. It's over now."- He sucked in a breath.- "It's finally over!" He cried as he pulled her into an embrace, his hand gripping her hair tightly and his free arm tightening around her waist. Lissa came up beside them and placed her hand on Robin's arm whilst Frederick looked on, clearly fighting back tears.

"Heh, you've even made Frederick cry!" Lissa joked.

"Fred-er-ick?" Robin spoke his name as if it was unfamiliar.

Chrom froze and pulled back in order to look into her eyes which were filled with confusion and hesitancy.

"Robin?" Staring into her eyes trying to work out what was wrong, Chrom felt a strong sense of foreboding taking over him.

Her lips puckered out, "I'm sorry but...who's 'Robin'?"

Lissa chocked and cupped her hands over her mouth in surprise. "Chrom it...it can't be! The amnesia is back."

It felt as if the ground had disappeared from under his feet, like the world had stopped spinning and that a crushing weight was pressing against his chest all at once. "Do...do you know who _I_ am?" He whispered and although he should have anticipated the answer the simple sound of it was almost enough to stop his heart beating:

"No."

* * *

Ooh...so Robin is back but can't remember anything, or at least that's how it seems, you'll have to wait to find out what's going on with her but hopefully considering how long this Chapter is, it'll be enough to tide you over for the moment. =) Thanks for reading and until next time. xXx


	4. Women of Magic and Mystery

Hello to you all, I'm glad that I've managed to get this Chapter up before the release of 'Echoes'. xD

Now before we begin, I must mention that this Chapter does introduce an **OC (*original character*)** into the mix in the form of a mysterious female. When I first started this story, I wasn't sure whether or not I was going to include any OCs (and I'm still not sure if there are going to be anymore in future) however, this character just sort of came into my mind so naturally that I knew I had to include her. She still doesn't have a name yet though so if- once you've read this Chapter- you have any ideas for a name for her then feel free to let me know and I'll take it on board. =)

Also, I'm not sure whether or not to change the rating of the story to 'M'. I mean, I think it's okay but I don't know how sensitive people are but eh, I'll leave it at 'T' for the moment. xD

 ***Spoilers Warning*** Definite spoilers about the 'true' end of 'Awakening'. Also spoilers about other elements of the plot throughout the game.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing to do with 'Fire Emblem [Awakening]', its locations, characters etc. All rights go to their respective owners.

 **Rated T.** ( ***Warning*** Suggestive themes and language, mild bad language, mild descriptions of violence, blood and gore.)

* * *

 **Together Again?: Women of Magic and Mystery**

"So...what do we do now?" Lissa slammed her palms down onto the table as she addressed the Shepherds.

"Maybe we should just tell her everything and hope she remembers some of it?" Gaius suggested.

Lissa frowned and turned to face him. "...And if she doesn't? She'll just become more confused or it may even frighten her?"

He just shrugged in response, opening a lollypop and beginning to consume it whilst one of his hands went up to scratch his head. "Well...it's better than nothing."

"Ooh, I know, I know! Tharja, why don't you use some of your dark magic to zap her memories back into place?" Nowi giddily made her contribution to the discussion.

Tharja rolled her eyes and tutted at the Manakete. "I can't just 'zap' her memories back into place, there isn't any magic in the world strong enough to do such a thing without having any...unexpected consequences."

Chrom sighed to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose as he went back to glaring out of the window whilst his friends and comrades continued to debate behind him. It'd been three days since they'd returned to Ylisstol; three days since he'd found his wife again.

That moment should have brought them closer together instead, they'd never been further apart. As soon as they'd returned to the castle, Robin had asked to be given some privacy and- as someone who could never say 'no' to her requests- the Exalt had ordered the maids to show her to her room and just that act alone had killed him; _she should be in_ our _room, not in one by herself!_ He'd had to make sure the room was away from Lucina's however...he still wanted her close and so her room (which he hoped would only be a temporary one) was stationed near his own.

He'd only told the rest of the Shepherds of her return...and of her amnesia yesterday and there were no plans to announce her return to the people until she could at least remember her role as their Queen. Chrom hadn't seen her again since they'd gotten back to the castle, she'd kept herself locked in her room refusing to even let the maids in. The only sign she was still there was that when the servants left a tray of food outside, it'd be taken inside before being returned to the spot it was left in a little while earlier with all of it gone. _She always did have a healthy appetite._ He thought with a smile.

"So...what _are_ we going to do then?" Libra asked solemnly.

The room went deadly silent.

"We can't just give up _that_ easily- this is _Robin_ we're talking about!" Lissa's frustration was clearly getting to her and so Frederick cleared his throat and stepped in.

"Milady, if I may, maybe we should just give her some time first in order to see if anything will return to her naturally? It may be the most productive option we have at the moment even if we're not contributing in any way."

Lissa's eyes snapped to his, pain evident in their depths. "So we're just supposed to leave her like _this_? She has no memory, Frederick! She can't remember us or the war or even her baby girl. She doesn't recall the fact that she's a hero who saved the world, nor can she remember the fact that her tactical prowess allowed us all to get through three wars alive. How can-" She broke off as a wave of emotion took over her, her arms wrapping around herself protectively. "-How can we allow her to suffer after all she's been through already."

Chrom felt his fist clench at his side at the thought of Robin suffering. He remembered how difficult it was for her not having any memories the first time. It really hurt her and she felt like a burden to him and the Shepherds because of it. He'd spent countless nights trying to reassure her about her lack of memories and then- to add insult to injury- all the ones she ended up recalling just caused her even more grief. _How can I watch her go through all that again?_

But he knew that he would, he loved her and he would never give up on her even if she lost her memories a hundred thousand times or left him for a thousand years, he'd still be there waiting for her; ready to aid her through hardships and torments just like always.

No one said anything for a moment and Chrom was about to speak up in order to draw the meeting to a close when all of a sudden, a soldier burst into the room panting and gasping like there was no tomorrow. "Milord, I'm so sorry to interrupt but there's a group of attackers coming ever closer to Ylisstol as we speak. We're not sure if they're brigands, bandits or what but apparently they have an incredibly powerful magic user at their helm. The group of scouts we sent out to monitor them have been all but diminished apart from the one who reported to us and I'm afraid even he's...well-"

Chrom tensed as he stood up, his grip tightening around Falchion. "Say no more, we're on our way. Shepherds: to arms!"

* * *

They arrived at the designated spot at around noon. It'd taken them a couple of hours to decide who was going, to prepare equipment and to travel. It'd also taken Chrom a little bit of time to convince Lissa to stay behind...

 _"Please Chrom, I want to help!"_

 _"Lissa no! You're pregnant and you know that you're not able to go into battle as a Shepherd whilst carrying a baby! I didn't allow Robin onto a battlefield whilst she was pregnant with Lucina so why would I let you?"_

 _Lissa just looked incredulous. "But...but...whose going to heal you?"_

 _Chrom rolled his eyes, "Maribelle and Libra are both coming along, we'll be fine healing wise."_

 _"Hmph!" She pouted and stormed off after that much to her brother's amusement._

He wasn't used to feeling entertained anymore; practically everything had seemed so dull and boring without Robin but both his sister and daughter were capable of putting a smile on his face and for that he was always grateful.

As they approached the strangers, Chrom snapped himself out of his reverie and took his spot at the front of his troops and admired the strangers who straightened up at the sight of the Shepherds.

Chrom coughed slightly. "My name is Chrom; Exalt of Ylisse. I wish to speak with the commander of your group."

Two men at the furthest end of the field looked at each other for a moment with hesitancy, they looked as if they were never going to move until a sultry female voice spoke up behind them. "Please, allow me to indulge in the _Exalt's_ request." She sneered the word 'Exalt' as the two men parted instantaneously at her command.

Chrom could only look on, completely stunned by who was in charge of the troops: a woman who was sat in- what could only be describe as-some sort of transportable chair that was being carried by some of her men. She seemed to be a mage of some sort but she wasn't Plegian nor was she from Ylisee or Ferox in fact, she didn't seem to be from anywhere that Chrom knew of. She was wearing clothes so revealing that she gave Tharja and Aversa (when she was still alive and serving under Validar) a run for their money, she was wearing a top cut around her midriff with a low V-neck and a short skirt with a piece of fabric hanging down in order to preserve some form of modesty. The clothing was white with golden decoration and a see-through material sewn into certain parts of the fabric. Her skin was rather pale and her finger nails were painted silver. She was wearing a lot of gold jewellery including bangles and earrings and she seemed to have a couple of markings on her arms and legs; her hair was ebony black and shoulder-length with a straight fringe however, it appeared to be wig of some kind since it didn't seem...natural for some reason. He found himself wondering why she felt the need to hide what her hair _really_ looked like but he decided that for the moment, he probably shouldn't question it too much. There was also something unusual about the colour of her eyes; something he couldn't quite put his finger on...

She waved a hand elaborately about as she addressed Chrom, "Tell me did you come all this way just to stare or is there something you needed from me?" Some of her men chuckled and jeered at the idea of him being enraptured by the strange woman even though whilst that _was_ the case, it wasn't for the reasons they were thinking. Despite that, he still had to try to disguise the furious embarrassed flush that began to spread across his cheeks.

Shaking his head to snap himself out of it Chrom spoke up, "Milady, you're approaching Ylisstol with a group of fighters by your side and due to your 'treatment' of my scouts, I'm giving you a warning; leave now or I will have to take you and your men down!"

The woman's chair was lowered slightly to allow her to get down and as she did, Chrom noticed that her feet were bare and yet unmarked which he found odd since there were bound to be dangers associated with walking around without shoes on. She looked down at the ground for a moment before turning to glare at the young man with blue hair; her gaze was steely, hostile and screamed 'danger'. "Heh, such a rush to get into a fight and I thought that Ylisse's prized 'Exalt' was supposed to be obsessed with peace and harmony. Such a cheek you have, boy, demanding I leave just because I took care of the nuisances you sent to spy on me! I don't take pity with people who get in my way. tell me, do you send spies after all of Ylisse's by passers or am I just a special case?"

Chrom straightened up, his eyes narrowing at the woman before him, he felt Frederick tensing up at his side as he grabbed the reigns of his horse tighter- no doubt preparing for Chrom's order to fight. "Hold your tongue, Milady in the presence of royalty!" The knight issued the warning with barely disguised malice.

In response the woman pretended to yawn. "You're beginning to irritate me, I have business to take care of and I'll be damned if I'll allow you to interfere any longer!"

"Business? What business?" Chrom inquired.

"Why I'm actually looking for someone who shall be of use to me in future. A dear slave of mine, suppose you can help me?" Chrom gritted his teeth at the woman's attitude and a her referencing to someone as her 'slave'. She was just so nonchalant! Staring intently at her nails and looking incredibly bored whenever she looked up at Chrom and his Shepherds. After a few moments of silence, she tutted and turned around, returning to her seat. "Apparently not, what a bother you've been to me." She clicked her fingers once and her men picked their weapons up and began to approach the group. "I'd like to say that this has been fun but...I'd be lying."

"Damn it!" Chrom snarled, "Shepherds, we fight for our lives!" With a wave of his arm, his troops began to fight the fiendish woman's own soldiers.

Now, after all the Shepherds had been through during the years, they were no strangers to difficult fights and as a result, they'd all become impeccably strong. Men and women who were able to wield a multitude of strong weapons effectively, were able to coordinate with little to no problems (although, they still had smarter strategies when Robin was the one coming up with them) and they were all able to work out when to aid another of their troops and when to leave them be. Those were the types of things that just came naturally to them after so much time fighting side by side.

It was a good thing that they had so much practice on the battlefield as the strangers they were up against were also experienced warriors going by the way they were fighting. They were just as capable, just as strong and just as able to work in sync. the Shepherds hadn't faced enemies this strong since their last battle against Grima. For every enemy they seemed to be taking down, three more appeared and they specialised in different areas as well, there were fighters using swords, axes, bows and arrows, spears and they also had incredibly capable healers. The battle felt as if it could go on for days unless they could come up with a good plan to outsmart the enemy. _But we can't think of anything like that, that was always Robin's job or Morgan's on some occasions._

As Chrom was just about to deliver the final blow to an enemy soldier with a little bit more force than was probably needed but couldn't be helped due to his frustration at being so helpless in this type of situation without Robin, he found himself turning to face where the mystery woman _should've_ been but when he looked, she wasn't there.

He felt his eyes narrow as he scanned the battlefield for any sign of the woman but she was nowhere to be seen. The wind was beginning to bellow around them, brushing Chrom's sweat-matted hair across his face, forcing him to brush it back. He was breathing hard and he was covered in blood that was both his enemies' and his own. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her...

...and he was dumbstruck by what he saw.

"... _We're not sure if they're brigands, bandits or what but apparently they have an incredibly powerful magic user at their helm..."_ That's what the soldier had said before the Shepherds had set out however, what he was seeing right now was nothing like that. Nothing like that at all.

The woman had all sorts of weapons somehow hidden on her person: short knives and spears, tomes, daggers and even her bracelets had spikes protruding from them now and when she didn't have the time to chop and change between weapons, she was fast and agile enough to attack without the aid of one, confusing her 'enemies' or even startling them before delivering the final blow either from behind or in front. Many of his men were trying to keep up with her and at one point she seemed to be completely surrounded by twenty or so soldiers all of which took her mere minutes to deal with even without any aid from her troops. it was almost like she knew all of their moves before even they themselves did and it was- to put it simply- rather eerie.

Chrom was so mesmerised by the woman's battling technique that he barely registered the fact that her eyes had also zeroed in on him. His grip tightened on the Falchion as she began to stalk towards him with a vicious smile on her face. _Does she know me? Does she have a grudge against me or something?_ For some reason- while his brain was trying to puzzle this out- he couldn't bring himself to prepare to face her. It was like he was frozen in a daydream (or a nightmare), he had no control over his body.

 **"Milord!"** He could hardly hear Frederick's warning cry over the blood rushing in his ears as the woman lifted one of her daggers high up into the air, preparing to stab Chrom. _Goodbye Lucy, Lucina and Morgan. Goodbye Lissa and Owain. Goodbye to you Robin, I love you all dearly. Emm, with any luck, I'll see you soon._ The final goodbye message went through his mind without him really registering it. He felt his eyes drifting shut in acceptance of his fate.

Suddenly he heard a sickening noise of metal piercing flesh, a horse's whine and a loud gasp of pain that wasn't his own. His eyes snapped open and landed on Frederick who had a knife stuck in his side. He was still alive and Chrom could tell the injury wouldn't kill him- _she...she held back?_ Chrom registered with surprise.

"Ugh," She moaned, looking at Frederick with contempt and disgust- "That pathetic Exalt was supposed to be my message but I suppose you'll do." She sneered as she stood over Frederick, kicking him in the side where his injury was, causing him to cry out.

Chrom suddenly snapped out of his state and his teeth gritted together as he stalked towards the woman, "You witch!" He cried, smacking her in the jaw with Falchion's hilt, knocking her off of her feet.

She landed on all fours and- for a moment- she looked momentarily taken aback but then that irritating smile spread across her face again. The other Shepherds had rallied to where Chrom and Frederick was in order to keep them safe from the other enemies whilst Chrom tried to deal with _her_. She rose to her feet and began to stalk towards Chrom, kicking the body of a dead soldier as she did so. "Oh, you poor pathetic boy, you haven't seen anything yet." She snapped her fingers again and all of her troops just...halted where they stood. It was the most bizarre thing they'd seen in a while.

Despite that, Chrom ran at her, Falchion at the ready. She didn't even bother to watch him approach her, she just checked her nails again and as soon as the Exalt was close enough, she kicked him square in the chest.

He was knocked back, coughing and gasping, the Falchion thrown from his grasp. Tharja, Maribelle and Vaike leaned down, trying to support their injured friend.

Rolling her eyes at them, the mysterious woman lifted up her hand in a 'stop' motion and then all of the Shepherds found themselves stuck just like her own troops did. She slowly made her way towards them. "Well...this has been fun little Exalt and I just know we'll see each other again soon." She bent down to face him, placing her hand under his chin and raising his head so he could meet her eyes, the fury in his own only became more prominent as her amusement grew. She pressed a kiss against his forehead before pulling back. "But for now..." She mused as a ball of magic started to rise up from her palm. "...I think you should go to sleep."

The ball of magic launched at the Shepherds, drowning out the world and their senses and before they even knew it, the whole world went dark.

* * *

Meanwhile at the castle, an incredibly bored Lissa decided to pay Robin a visit. "Hello!?" She called out whilst knocking on Robin's door. "Am I okay to come in?"

There was no response for a few moments and Lissa sighed, she was just about to give up when the handle began to turn and her sister-in-law hesitantly opened the door, peaking out and looking at Lissa like she was a complete and utter stranger.

"H-how can I help you Princess?" Robin murmured.

Lissa rolled her eyes as she stepped into the room, grasping Robin's hand in her own. "Please, just Lissa is okay." She bounded into the room without waiting for a reply. The window was slightly ajar, allowing for a subtle breeze to drift through the room and there was a huge pile of books scattered around. "You've been to the library?"

Robin nodded.

Lissa couldn't help but smile. "Heh, that's just typical of you Robin, you always did have your nose in a book." Lissa was just lifting the lid of a jar to see if there were any sweets in it when her eyes widened as she realised her gaffe.

"I...always _did_?" Robin's eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

 _Well...it's too late to turn back now._ "Y-yes you did."

"So...you knew me before?" Robin clarified.

All Lissa could do was nod.

Robin turned her gaze away from her relative. "Then I'm sorry that I can't remember you."

Lissa waved her hands dismissively. "Please, it's not your fault"

Robin went to sit on top of her bed and she stayed there in silence for a few minutes before speaking up again. "If...if you knew me, could you explain a few things to me?"

Lissa hesitated "I'll try." _Stupid, what about what Frederick said?!_

Facing towards the window and messing with her nail, Robin spoke up. "Why am I allowed to stay here in the palace?"

"Because you live here!"

"I do? Why?"

"Erm...well...you live here because your family is here." _Yes, that's it._

"My...my...family? You mean like my Mum and Dad?"

Lissa shook her head, recalling who Robin's dad was and repressing a shudder when she recalled all of the horrible things that that man had put her brother, son, niece, nephew and-of course- Robin through. She couldn't comprehend how any man could put his child through such hell but then again, her own father wasn't all sunshine and rainbows either apparently.

"No...not a Mum and Dad, more like..." She trailed off.

"Like?" Robin murmured, an eyebrow slightly raised and curiosity burning in her tone just like always.

"Hmm...maybe I should just..."- This time Robin pouted, incredibly agitated by Lissa's reluctance to share after agreeing to do so.- "Come with me!" Lissa grabbed Robin's hand and whisked her out of the room before she could object.

 **...**

 **... ...**

 **... ... ...**

A few minutes later, Lissa was knocking on her little' niece's door which a maid ended up opening. "Lady Lissa, how may I help you?"

Lissa smiled warmly at the woman, "I'm wishing to see my niece, please."

The maid looked pass Lissa and saw Robin stood there looking dumbfounded. "Bu-but Milady, I'm not sure if-"

"Please." Lissa pleaded.

The maid considered it for a moment longer, chewing her lip all the while before nodding her assent and drifting out of the room after bidding her farewell to Lucina.

"Come with me!" Lissa said to Robin as she entered the room.

After a few seconds stood out in the corridor, she followed the excitable woman into the room. She was surprised to find that she'd been brought into a nursery for some reason. The walls were painted the colour of sky blue and there was a butterfly motif throughout. There were teddy bears everywhere she looked and a rocking chair for an adult to sit in- no doubt for when they were reading stories to whoever occupied the room.

Speaking of which, Robin turned her head to face the Princess when she heard tinkling laughter drifting through the room and she was stunned into silence when she saw the little girl cradled in her arms.

The girl had blue hair and she was wearing a golden headband that resembled a crown. Her eyes matched her hair colour and they were wide and inquisitive. She was such a beautiful girl, adorable in every way. Robin felt incredibly protective of her and her heart swelled with pride and love because that girl was...

"Lucina!" She gasped, her arms stretching out towards the young girl.

Lucina was sucking her thumb when she met the eyes of the woman in front of her. She was confused for a moment until she realised that this was the woman from the painting; this was 'Ma'. When she grasped that concept, she struggled in her auntie's grasp and Lissa passed her to Robin. "You remember her?" Lissa asked stunned.

Robin just nodded as she clutched the girl tightly to her chest. "I- I don't know why I can recall her when I've forgotten everything else but I'm glad I can because the last time I saw her, I left and never came back even after I promised I would and I don't think I would've been able to stand it if my lack of memory forced me to waste anymore time that could've been spent with her."

Lissa beamed, "Well...I suppose it isn't so strange after all, you knew who Chrom was the first time 'round so the fact you can remember your daughter is similar..." Lissa cut off that train of thought as a chocked sob racked through Robin who was kissing Lucy over and over again on her forehead.

Lissa felt her heart melt at the sight of the young woman and she was just about to give her time to reunite with her baby when she spoke up again. "You...you said Lucina was your niece."

Lissa nodded.

"I was reading about your family history and it said you had two elder siblings; Emmeryn and Chrom. I know of...Emmeryn's passing from the book which only leaves Chrom to be Lucina's father."

Dread made its way through Lissa, she knew where this was going.

"So...if Chrom is her father and _I'm_ her mother then...that means we're-"

Just then, for the second time that day, a soldier ran up to the room, panting and gasping. "What's wrong?" Lissa asked.

"Milady, you're needed. T-Tharja and Henry have just come back with the remaining soldiers in tow however, many of them are gravely injured."

Lissa nodded with understanding and determination. "Of course I'll be right there." She turned to Robin when the soldier placed his hand lightly on her arm, pulling her attention back to him. "Th-that's not all, both Chrom and Frederick are among those terribly hurt during the fight."

Lissa's eyes widened and she shot from the room without a second though, the soldier bowed in Robin's direction before following the young princess.

Now alone in the room with her little girl, Robin went over to the door, closing it before going over to the chair and wrapping Lucina tightly in her robes whilst humming a tune to help her fall asleep. When her daughter seemed to be lost in a dream land, Robin spoke to herself. "It's not long now...just keep on pretending, Robin. Keep on pretending and everything will go according to plan..."

* * *

A few hours later and Lissa was still sat by Chrom's bed. Luckily all of the soldiers who had come back- including both her brother and Frederick- were now all in a stable condition and were just getting some rest. She'd already received an account of all that had happened during the battle and when she questioned Henry and Tharja about why they were the ones to bring back the remaining Shepherds who were all still unconscious, they said that their abilities as Dark Mages allowed them to recover from the spell relatively quickly and after that, they went to search for any help they could find before returning to the castle.

Lissa was still worried about her brother despite the reassurances that he'd be okay; his chest and torso were wrapped up in bandages and his skin was pale, his face taunt like he was in pain. She couldn't help but hold his hand, rubbing her thumb soothingly over his skin. She's barely slept or rested since being called to aid with healing the wounded and by the looks of things, that wasn't going to change anytime soon.

"Milady, maybe you should turn in for the night?" One of the other healers murmured.

Lissa shook her head. "No, not until he's at least spoken or opened his eyes."

The woman pursued her lips. "But you're preg-"

"I know I'm pregnant!" Lissa snapped. "But that does _not_ make me delicate. I've helped out with all of the pregnancies experienced by my friends thus far; I know what I have to do in order to keep us both safe so stop pretending like I don't know any better!"

"My apologies." The woman bowed before fleeing the room.

Lissa sighed, she hated it when people felt like they couldn't put her in her place if she had a go at them simply because she was royalty but right now, she was too tired and stressed out to go and apologise. She closed her eyes to fight back a wave of tears.

"You could've handled that a bit better." A weak male voice spoke up.

Her eyes snapped open and landed on her brother's half-closed ones. "Chrom!" She cried, leaning to press a kiss against his cheek. "I was so worried, I thought I was going to lose you just like I lost Emm and..." She choked on a wave of emotion. "I...Oh Chrom, don't you ever put me through anything like that again!"

He smiled a best he could. "Heh, I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to upset you. How's Frederick?"

"He's doing okay, so don't worry. It'll take more than that to take down ol' Freddy-bear." She winked at him.

They both laughed slightly at the nickname Robin had come up with and at that moment, something occurred to Lissa. "Oh, brother! I have something to tell you."

"What?" He asked her curiously.

"Robin remembers Lucina!"

His expression became confused. "She remembers Lucina?"

"Yeah, I took Robin to see her and she recalled who Lucy was."

"But that...that's great news!"- He couldn't help but smile at the idea that maybe it wouldn't take much to help robin regain her memories.- "I'm mad at you for taking Robin to see Lucina when we agreed not to..." He murmured, looking pointedly at his sister and she just stuck her tongue out at him in response. "...However, thank you. I'm glad that those two can regain their bond again."

"Yeah, me too."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Chrom hesitantly spoke up. "Can I see her?"

"Who?"

"Robin."

Lissa but her lip but before she could object, Chrom placed his free hand on top of hers "Please, Lissa, even if she can't remember me, I just...really need her here right now." He drifted off when he said that.

Lissa considered it for a few minutes before nodding. "I'll see what I can do."

 **...**

 **... ...**

 **... ... ...**

About half-an-hour later, there was a slight knock on the infirmary door and Chrom looked over as best he could to see the figure of Robin stood there, looking rather tense and nervous. He tried to reassure her with the kindest smile he could muster however, a sudden slice of pain no doubt turned it into a grimace.

"You called for me, Milord?"

"Yes but please, just call me Chrom, there's no need to refer to me by a title."

She nodded at his words as she approached his bedside and sat beside him.

The silence between them grew tense and awkward until Robin finally spoke up. "So...what happened to you out there?"

"Ugh, don't concern yourself with it, we'll sort it out as soon as I'm back to my best."

Robin couldn't help but look at the severity of his injuries with a slight frown, doubt spreading through her. "Yeah...I'm sure it'll go better for you next time."

"It will, we'll be...better prepared." Chrom tried to reassure her but he seemed to be failing miserably.

"Chrom?"

"Yes?"

"What is you relation to me?"

Chrom tensed up at that. "You must have a reason for asking, what's brought this up."

"You already know that I've met with Lucina and that I can remember her however, it doesn't take a genius to work out who her father is and that's not taking into account the books you have in the library documenting your family history. If I'm her mother then either you fathered her with me out of wedlock or you're the reason for this." She held her hand up, showing him the wedding ring that was still on her finger.

Chrom hesitated for a moment before deciding it was best just to be honest with her. "You're right, we were married before...before you disappeared. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner however, I wasn't sure how you'd respond to such news when you couldn't even recall ever meeting me let alone marrying me and having our child."

Robin brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped one arm around them. "Heh yeah, it might've been too much to handle." Her free hand brushed over his own and her cheeks turned slightly pink as she met his gaze. "I'm sorry though...about not being able to remember you; it must be very painful for you."

Slowly so as not to disturb his injuries, he lifted her hand up to his lips and kissed it. "It's not your fault and now that you know the basics, we can build on that. Don't worry Robin, you're not alone during this."

"No I suppose not." She smiled at him slightly and then suddenly, her face began to crumble and tears began to fall down her cheeks. "Oh Chrom, I'm so sorry!" She cried, moving to hold him against her as best she could.

"It's all right Robin, everything is going to be okay." Chrom then proceeded to hold his wife as she let out her grief.

...However, whilst this was going on, a figure watched on from the doorway as the couple embraced, cried and reassured each other. She was used to spending her time watching them after all, her life was bound to Robin's and so she had to make sure Chrom was treating her right.

Despite this, it wasn't her closest friend she was concerned for in fact, she was concerned for the goofy-prince who stole Robin's affections. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but she knew with every fibre of her being that something was wrong with Robin...

...Something was very, _very_ wrong indeed.

* * *

Ooh...so just what _is_ going on with Robin and what is with the mysterious OC? I'll leave you all to come up with your own thoughts and theories for the moment (and if you have any ideas for my OC name-wise or whatever then let me know). I'll try to have the next Chapter up soon but- you know- 'Echoes'. xD Until next time. xXx


	5. The Mystery Deepens

So...remember when I said that I'd try to have the next Chapter of this story up soon and the only reason it may have been late was 'Echoes'? It turns out apparently...I lied. xD Not only am I releasing this Chapter way after I intended but I wasn't really a big fan of 'Echoes' in the end so...I didn't play it anywhere near as much as I thought I was gonna. In the end, I became distracted by other games.

So...why am I back with this now? Well first of all I love writing this story! I really do; I get to write about my second favourite couple in the world, it's a dream come true! Also- whilst I am listing all the songs that inspired this story at the end, one song in particular made me want to write this and that was **'I'm With You'** by **Avril Lavigne** which- as you'll no doubt find out when you read this Chapter- I have no idea why as it has nothing to do with what I ended up writing about. xD Finally...I may not own 'Warriors' yet but there's a Support conversation between Chrom and Ryoma...fully voiced...by my favourite voice actor Matthew Mercer...and he voices them both. I cried with laughter the entire time and it made me want to write about my husband Chrom again! =D

I really aren't sure whether I need to change the age rating of this story to Mature or not due to some content that has turned up in this Chapter but I guess I'll let you guys be the judge. =)

I hope you enjoy!

 ***Spoilers Warning*** Definite spoilers about the 'true' end of 'Awakening'. Also spoilers about other elements of the plot throughout the game.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing to do with 'Fire Emblem [Awakening]', its locations, characters etc. All rights go to their respective owners.

 **Rated T. (*Warning*** Contains brief references to torture in a 'dream' sequence and themes that some people may find distressing.)

* * *

 **Together Again?: The Mystery Deepens**

For the next few days that followed, the Exalt of Ylisse spent much of his time bed-bound in order to recover with maids loitering around him and attending to his every whim but for once he didn't mind the fuss as for the first time since that fateful day, he finally had some time to talk with Robin.

Obviously due to the fact she hadn't recalled her marriage with him, there was still much he was avoiding telling her but for now luckily, she was curious about all the 'minor' things like their dates, funny conversations they'd had, the meetings they'd attended and the like. Chrom found himself truly enjoying the small talk he was sharing with her and seeing her reactions to events they'd already lived through reminded him of the emotions he'd felt when certain events had happened; the amusement he felt when Robin wasn't paying attention to where she was walking in the gardens once when it was raining and she slipped and fell in a puddle, the nerves that tightened up his gut when she was in labour or the raw pain he'd felt on the first anniversary of Emmeryn's sacrifice. He'd never quite realised just how many memories he'd made over the years- both bitter and sweet and everything in-between. He'd also never realised just how many of his memories related to Robin in one way or another; they really were two halves of a greater whole.

During his final evening of being bed-bound at a medic's request, he'd just finished having a nightly discussion with his wife who had now left the room to go to wish Lucina goodnight and he was about to make the most of this final chance to rest when he received an unexpected visitor to his room.

"Tharja?!" He exclaimed upon seeing her. He wasn't used to interacting with the Sorceress much especially since she made him uncomfortable. Her obsession with stalking Robin who was- you know- his _wife_ was rather infuriating but also the fact that she made no secret of the fact that he'd suffer some rather...peculiar punishments should he ever break Robin's heart was more than enough of a reason to force him to try and avoid her as much as possible in an attempt to keep his head.

"How are you feeling Milord?" Her narrowed eyes met his and despite the polite way she delivered her question it was clear that she wasn't at all interested in his answer.

"I'm okay, thank you."

"That's...good to hear."

After she said that an awkward silence filled the room for what seemed like forever until Chrom couldn't stand it anymore. "Was there something you were wanting, Tharja?"

"Why yes, I have something to discuss with you." She then moved from her position leaning against the door frame and stood at the end of his bed gazing at him in a way that was making him rather uncomfortable.

He waved his hand in a bid to relieve some of the tension in the atmosphere. "Go ahead."

After a brief moment of silence, she finally spoke up. "How has Robin been since her return?"

Chrom's eyebrows knitted together in confusion at this line of questioning but he chose to just indulge her for the moment. "Robin is doing as well as can be expected all things considering. It's difficult for her...being here when all she can really recall is her daughter and so we're all virtually strangers to her, give her some credit Tharja!"

"That's not what I meant." Tharja growled in exasperation at being misunderstood. "I mean how has she _been?"_

"...You've lost me." Chrom admitted.

"Ugh forget it, I'm clearly wasting my time." She stormed towards the door but froze before completely leaving. "Not like I really care for your well-being but Robin is my world and so I'm giving you this warning- watch your back because not everything is how it seems right now."

After she was no longer in sight, Chrom sighed and relaxed back against his pillows, a hand coming up to rest against his forehead as he contemplated Tharja's words. _Could there be something wrong with Robin?_ He couldn't think of anything apart from the obvious but he hadn't seen much of her outside of this room so maybe her behaviour was questionable in other situations?

 _For the moment-_ he decided- _there's nothing I can do so I'll let it drop but I'll keep an eye on her...for now._

* * *

 _The sand was being violently swept across the desert by the strong winds that howled through the night. The moon hung overhead and the stars twinkled in the night sky, their calmness a stark contrast to the weather but not to the rest of the scene which appeared normal and serene._

 _The desert was home to a single town which was hidden behind a huge brick wall and protected day and night by a sea of guards, spies and trackers all of which were best avoided if you wanted to cross the sands with your head intact. A strong, well-built castle loomed above the people who lived there like a shadow with spires, impossibly tall towers and a dark, ominous presence that warned not just strangers to the town, but the people who occupied it to stay away unless they had an invitation...and even then, only if they were brave enough to dare enter its grounds._

 _Within the walls of the castle there was a menacing secret: a dungeon chamber lurking far below the ground and a torture chamber that looked as if it'd had come straight out of a horror story. The only light was provided by torches lining the walls; making the place more disorientating and nerve-inducing._

 _The torture chamber was currently home to one figure who was being strung up by chains hanging down from the ceiling with two others holding their legs apart. The person was unsure as to how long they'd been left there like that; all they knew was that they'd be left alone in this position for a long time and- like the name of the chamber implied- the experience was indeed torture._

 _After an undisclosed amount of time the prisoner heard the sound of approaching footsteps which made them tense up with fear. "What do you want with me?" They rasped as the figure got within earshot._

 _The figure studied their victim for a moment before grinning like the Cheshire cat. "How much do you remember?" They asked cryptically as they walked towards some sort of lever._

 _Their eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "What?" They responded, unsure as to what their captor was referring to._

 _Just then, the figure grabbed the lever and pulled which tightened the chains that clung to their victim like spider webs, causing them to cry out in agony; their limbs no doubt burning from the feeling of being stretched to their limits._

 _After some time had passed, the quizzer repeated their word. "How. Much. Do you. Remember?"_

 _*Gasp. Gasp* The prey couldn't control their breathing, tears streamed down their face. **"I don't know what you mean!"** They pleaded. How were they suppose to answer this question? They remembered what they remembered! Their family, their friends, their life before they ended up here, what exactly was this person referring to?! Did they want to hear their entire life story or was it something more specific? _'I have to get out of here!"

 _"Wrong answer!" The sing-song voice which left their torturer's mouth was at odds with the horrific circumstances._

 _The person pulled the lever again and this time they prolonged the torment even longer. As this was going on, the sound of another set of footsteps echoed around the halls. A hooded person froze metres away from the person pulling the lever who- without turning- addressed the new arrival. "You're late."_

 _"Heh, my sincerest apologies, I was held up covering our tracks; it turns out that somebody is determined to follow us to the ends of the earth in order to find out what we're up too."_

 _Finally releasing their grip on the lever, they turned to face the person talking to them. "Hehe well...they won't get that far and besides, we'll be extending an invitation to them anyway in due course."_

 _"Too true." The hooded person then turned to look at their captive who was sweating profusely and refusing to look up from the ground. "How long before they convert and join us?"_

 _That caused their head to shoot up. "Convert?!" They exclaimed._

 _Without acknowledging that their victim has spoken, the original arrival grabbed what appeared to be an iron rod and began to heat it up in a furnace. "Hmm..."- They began, admiring their work.- "Well, they haven't bothered to tell me what they recall of their time spent_ there _yet so we can't start to brainwash them without at first knowing what we're even removing from their grey matter now, can we?"_

 _The hooded figure's shoulders shook with laughter at their words. "You've always had a clever way with words."_

 _Their prisoner realising that the hooded figure's voice sounded distinctly familiar began to talk to them. "Who- who are you?!"_

 _Cocking their head to one side, they replied, "So you don't remember me?"_

 _Shaking their head, they tried to get through to them. "No I...I know you but...I can't_ place _you. Will you remove your hood?"_

 _The sound of the other person strolling back towards them began to fill their ears and they knew that time was running out to get the answers they so desperately craved from the hidden person._

 _After what seemed like an eternity, they gave a brief nod. "Very well. It was always the intention anyway."_

 _In what appeared to be slow motion, they slowly lifted their gloved hands to grasp their hood as the prisoner watched, their stomach tying itself up in knots of unease and they didn't quite understand why..._

 _...Until the hood was finally removed revealing a face that was oh so familiar and yet- at the same time- oh so different. Gasping, their captive started to pull against their chains as their expression became enraged. " **No! What's happened to you?! What have they done to you?!"**_

 _They didn't reply and instead turned to accept the iron rod from the other figure who was sniggering like this was all a game. They turned back and started to approach the person in chains. "Shh...it's okay...eventually you'll learn that this is the way it's supposed to be and you'll soon grow to accept it."_

 _"W-what?!"_

 _...And as the heated metal made contact with the flesh on their arm, the excruciating screams echoed through the otherwise peaceful desert night as the scene began to fade to white and the nightmare gave way to a brand new morn..._

* * *

 _"...Dear Father,_

 _I am sorry to burden you with this correspondence as I know there is a risk of it being read before it reaches you which would cause you many a problem however, there are things that urgently need to be discussed with you and unfortunately I am unable to meet with you in person at this time._

 _It feels strange not being able to be by your side, we spent so much time fighting to save your world together and whilst it wasn't the nicest of circumstances to find ourselves in, being a part of the Shepherds was the greatest time of my life. However, whilst you are my father, I do find myself remembering that the man who actually helped to give me life has long since passed in my original world and I can't help that; I have to remember him no matter how much it hurts..._

 _...Heh, sorry, I got all sombre on you there. You have always been there for me and you give me an opportunity to get to know the man who I admire so much and for that I will always be grateful; little Lucy is lucky to have you Father as am I and Morgan._

 _I heard that you found Mother. I hope she is doing well since her return and I truly hope to be reunited with her again sooner rather than later. Although...I do know that at the moment she is suffering from amnesia and can't remember all that much. It's difficult to come to terms with, she made the ultimate sacrifice for us on that day and she can't even recall just how much of a hero she is! Mother was always a difficult one to place, when I came to this time I sort of had an idea of the kind of person you were but I had no idea how boisterous, confident and feisty Mother was capable of being, she was always so kind and gentle when she was around me whilst I was young. But...for all of her strength, she was always rather vulnerable and prone to over-working herself so I hope you take good care of her until she's back to her usual self and after that as well._

 _On the subject of Morgan however, I've come across some rather troubling news concerning him which I am currently investigating further..."_

 ***Knock. Knock. Knock.***

Chrom looked up from the letter sighing to himself inwardly since he'd gotten to an incredibly important part and stuffed it in the top draw of his desk before welcoming his visitor into his study.

"Milord, just to let you know that I am still having no luck encouraging Tharja to meet with you, are you sure you don't want me to use force or coercion to get her to cooperate?"

Chrom stood up and rested a firm hand upon Frederick's shoulder. "I've told you a thousand times that that won't be necessary. I thought I told you to let this thing with Tharja go already?"

Frederick scowled at Chrom, his ever-serious expression making it perfectly clear that he wasn't going to give up no matter what. "No, she's being disrespectful to the Exalt himself! It is my duty to deal with such acts of blasphemy regardless of who commits them!"

"But...Frederick...it's honestly not a problem."- _And besides I don't want to get cursed again nor do I want it to happen to you for the tenth time in a fortnight...-_ He thought. "Please my friend, it's late and I'm retiring to my room after I've gotten Lucy to bed so go and get some rest if not for your sake then for mine."

Frederick didn't respond for a moment before he finally sighed, resigning himself to agreeing to his Lord's request. "Very well, I shall see you in the morning."

"Goodnight my friend." Chrom murmured as Frederick left the room, closing the door behind him.

After that, Chrom let out a breath as he returned to his desk in order to resume reading the letter from his daughter. The letter hadn't turned up at the same time as the usual post and had apparently turned up separately much to the bemusement of the maid who found it. Luckily it was addressed to 'Chrom' rather than 'Father' otherwise she'd have been even _more_ surprised! However, it did explain why he was reading the letter for the first time shortly before bed.

It had been about a month since the events the occurred with the strange woman just outside of Ylisse and for some reason, she'd decided not to travel through Ylisse in the end although Chrom had no idea why since she didn't seem like she was afraid of the concept after facing his Shepherds...and completely thrashing them! However, she hadn't fatally injured anyone much to his relief but also to his confusion.

"That pathetic Exalt was supposed to be my message but I suppose you'll do." She'd snarled after striking Frederick instead. She'd meant to injure him as a 'message' but to who and why? What 'message' exactly was _that_ supposed to deliver.

To top it all off, there was this thing with Tharja and the warning she'd given about Robin. Since she'd visited him whilst he was recovering, he'd tried to contact her multiple times himself without much luck (and a couple of curses to show for his efforts). After what had happened with the mystery woman, Frederick had felt unnecessarily guilty about not being able to protect all of the Shepherds, his lord and Ylisse even though he'd done more than enough that day however, ever since He'd gone out of his way to aid him with everything and when he'd caught wind of Chrom's desire to meet with Tharja, he'd taken it upon himself to try to make her cooperate without much any luck and numerous hexes to show for it as well.

As he removed the letter from his desk, he read with deep concern what Lucina had to say about Morgan.

 _"...Apparently he's not been sighted for months. I had been keeping tabs on him so that when Mother returned, I could contact him however, his trail went cold a few months ago. I asked the other future children to keep me updated which seemed to work up until shortly after we met the night before you found Mother at which point, he hasn't been seen since. I've now started to investigate spots he seems to have been seen hanging around frequently. I'm not sure what your advice is especially since you're rather tied up on your end but if you're able to help out then meet me in three days time at the spot where we last saw each other._

 _All my love,_

 _Lucina. xxx"_

Chrom leaned back in his chair. Still taking in the words. "Morgan is...missing?!" Of course there was no way that he wouldn't aid Lucina with the search for her brother but...what about Lucy and Robin? Also, what about Lissa and Frederick? They weren't really in the best shape to go on quests at the moment. He decided to call a meeting the next day in order to discuss the plan of action.

After that, he tried to control his desperation to go and search for his son immediately. When he'd found out that he had a son as well as a daughter and that he had the brains of his mother but the clumsiness of his father, he'd realised that he had to keep an eye out for him despite his tactical prowess and so not being able to do anything about his disappearance made him uneasy to say the least.

He locked up his study for the night and proceeded towards Lucina's room but he froze outside of her door when he heard a voice and the distinct sound of Lucy giggling. He peaked through a gap in her door and saw Robin there telling their daughter a funny story.

"-And what happened next, Ma?"

She chuckled lightly, "I'll tell you..." Robin moved her head from side to side, a finger pressed against her lips as she contemplated but Chrom noticed her spot the time on the clock. "Well...I will do but...not tonight."

"Wha?!" Lucina asked incredulously, her bright blue eyes going wide as she pouted. "Why?"

"Because it's already way past your bedtime." Chrom murmured as he entered the room.

Robin who had been about to say the same thing- smiled guiltily at Chrom's words. "Your Daddy's right. I'm afraid I've already kept you up too long with my stories."

"Aww..."

"Hehe." Robin laughed making Chrom's heart swell with love. They'd made some progress since they'd first found her and they now conversed a lot and spent time together comfortably. She bent down to press a kiss to their daughter's forehead and Chrom strolled towards the bed to follow suit. "Goodnight Lucy."

"G'night." She whispered as she rubbed her tired eyes.

After both Chrom and Robin had left the room, Robin closed the door and turned to Chrom. "She really is lovely isn't she?" She mused.

Chrom felt his mouth form into that silly, proud grin he often made when talking about his children. "Yes, she's amazing."

"...And we made her...right?"

Chrom's cheeks flushed with heat at that. "Y-yes...yes we did." _My voice cracked, how embarrassing!_

"Hmm...that's...not a bad thought."

Chrom tried to ignore the implications as he cleared his throat. "Well...I'm turning in for the night. It's been an exhausting day."

Robin nodded to herself. "Of course. Goodnight...Chrom."

"Goodnight Robin."

Or at least...it should've been a good night but things were about to go very wrong for the House of Ylisse.

* * *

As Chrom was sleeping soundly in his bed, the peaceful night was suddenly interrupted by a piercing scream echoing throughout the castle which he instantly recognised as Robin's.

He bolted out of his bedroom, grabbing Falchion as he went and traced the sound which led to him finding Robin collapsed outside of Lucy's room. Just as he approached her, Lissa and Frederick came running and joined them.

"Milady what's wrong?" Frederick inquired.

Robin looked up and made eye contact with Chrom, her own gaze filled with tears. "Lu-Lucy she...she's..."

"She's what?" Lissa asked, her voice trembling with fear.

Dread made Chrom's body freeze. He approached his daughter's room and reached a shaking hand out to open his door...

...and found her room completely empty, her bed devoid of his daughter's small frame and the window completely open; the wind blowing the curtains the only sound filling the otherwise silent room.

"She's gone." Chrom whispered.

"What?!" Frederick snarled.

"No!" Lissa cried as she crumpled to the ground besides Robin, wrapping her arms around her.

"I went to check on her in order to make sure she was safe like mothers are supposed to do but...she was already gone! Someone's taken my daughter from me!" Robin's agony was obvious in her voice, her pain was raw and plain for all to see.

Chrom's fists clenched at his side. _First my son and now my young daughter?!-_ He thought- _This can't be a coincidence, they must be connected somehow._

Just then the hall was filled with the sound of numerous sets of rushing footsteps as both the Shepherds and castle staff arrived and the place because busy with activity, Frederick called an emergency meeting of the Shepherds which all of them- including Chrom and even Robin- agreed to attend. Eventually Lissa left the hall to go get a glass of water for Robin before being convinced to get some rest. Everyone eventually dispersed leaving only Chrom and Robin in the hallway.

He couldn't bear to see Robin in pain and quite frankly, he needed some comfort as well and so he went up to her and took Lissa's place, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her hair out of her face. "We'll find her." He whispered into her ear. "You have my word we _will_ find her." Chrom looked over his shoulder and caught sight of Tharja who had just returned to the hallway, she met his gaze for a moment before shaking her head at him which caused his eyebrows to pull together in confusion as he looked back to his wife who was wrapped up in his arms sniffling at the thought of their missing daughter.

* * *

So...what did you think? I really hope you liked it and that this Chapter gets your brains working overtime trying to work out what's going on. xD Until next time. xXx


	6. Suspicions

I last updated this in November?! What?! Where has the time gone?! =O

Well...I've technically been working on this Chapter on and off for the last two months or so, so...yeah, sorry to keep you waiting. xD

I actually really like this Chapter and I hope all you lovely (and extraordinarily patient) readers will too. Thanks for all the follows, favourites and reviews, I appreciate them! =D

To my guest reader who mentioned the spotpass characters, I know about them and I know that they're 'alive' in a sense but in this story, all of them (apart from one who isn't in the main story of 'Awakening' and never 'died' as a result) all of them are deceased, sad to say, so they won't be making an appearance and I aren't decided on that one exception yet. xD

Luckily whilst finishing this Chapter off, I came up with what I want the next Chapter to focus on so you shouldn't have to wait as long as you did for this one however, I've got some pretty hectic months ahead of me so I can't make any promises.

 ***Spoilers Warning*** Definite spoilers about the 'true' end of 'Awakening'. Also spoilers about other elements of the plot throughout the game.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing to do with 'Fire Emblem [Awakening]', its locations, characters etc. All rights go to their respective owners.

 **Rated T. (*Warning*** Contains slightly 'raunchy' language, themes and suggestions but nothing actually happens or takes place.)

* * *

 **Together Again?: Suspicions**

"She should be here soon." Chrom murmured to the people following behind him as he reached the clearing where he was due to meet with Lucina.

"I can't believe how long it's been," Lissa remarked with a longing sigh. "I bet you're excited to see her again huh Robin?"

Robin's head snapped up at the sound of her name, her face was ashen under her hood. "Huh? Y-yeah I guess..." She trailed off.

Lissa's eyes widened as something occurred to her. "Oh, do you remember this Lucina?"

"This Lucina?"

"Yeah, the one from the alternate future."

"Alternate future?!"

"U-huh, one where we all..."

Chrom quickly placed a hand over his sister's mouth, "Let me explain Lissa, you're not really one for subtlety."

She pulled away from her brother's grasp grumbling something like 'You're one to talk' under her breath as she turned around to check on the other Shepherds.

"Her time was destroyed by an evil dragon called Grima, it was thanks to him that all the adults in her time...perished." He grimaced as he recalled that particular news; it was difficult to face the reality that all of the Shepherds had failed to protect their children and to save the world even if it _was_ in a different reality to their own. "She travelled to this time alongside the children of our friends to try and prevent a similar fate befalling our world. She's still my- no- _our_ daughter though so you can rest easy in that regards."

The woman crossed her arms over her chest, "That's er, a lot to take in."

Chrom smiled ruefully, "Huh, I bet."

Just then, Tharja cut into their conversation with her 'helpful' quip. "Considering you recalled baby Lucina upon seeing her, it seems strange you haven't remembered _everything_ relating to her- both the one from this time and the alternate one."

All the Shepherds shot the mage a steely look but before any of them could respond or cut through the now tense atmosphere a bright, yet serious voice spoke up behind them. "It does make sense however, whilst we're the same in name and role- we're still inevitably different so don't give her too much of a hard time Tharja."

Lissa and Chrom whipped around. "Ah, Lucina!" The young princess cried as she rushed towards her niece and wrapped her up in a bear hug, causing the blue-haired girl to grunt in surprise.

"Heh, hello Aunt Lissa, I'm glad to see you well." She then turned to the other Shepherds, "Same with the all of you, it's good to see you all again." She bowed slightly, a smile playing on her lips however, that quickly faded as she heard footsteps approaching her warily. Standing up straight again, her face filled with a deep sadness. "H-hello Mother."

The woman in question didn't respond, she just reached a hand out and grabbed a strand of Lucina's hair, rubbing it between her fingers before meeting her gaze. "Lucina, heh, you grow more beautiful by the day." Robin whispered before smiling. "I'm sorry I forgot you sweetheart, but...I've remembered you now and I'm sorry for leaving you the way I did, I hope you can forgive me."

Hot tears began to brim in Lucina's eyes as her strong expression crumbled, "Mother!" She cried as she wrapped her arms around the bemused woman, in a lot of ways it reminded her of when she revealed herself as Lucina rather than as Marth to her father but this felt even more emotionally charged than that time after all, her mother was forced to play host for Grima in her time and almost succumbed to the same fate in this time but she didn't and ended up sacrificing her life to save he world, her mother deserved happiness and she vowed there and then that she would do anything to secure a peaceful future for the brave tactician and her dear mother.

* * *

"What do you know?" Frederick asked the blue-haired princess as he lay a map out on top of the table in the newly set-up tent which currently occupied him, Lucina, her father and her mother whilst there was still a bustle of noise and activity outside as the other Shepherds continued to set up their camp for the night.

Lucina quickly scanned over the map on the table, a frown marring her face. The last person to see him was Yarne who saw him..." Her finger trailed over the map until it came to a small town on the outskirts of Ylisse. "Here. He went into a shop to purchase a couple of books, he seemed rather distracted by a scroll he was reading on his way to a house. Unfortunately, he got lost in the hustle and bustle of the crowd and since then...zip."

"Hmm...Chrom, do you think whoever took Morgan took Lucy too?"

He'd told her and the other Shepherds about Morgan and the correspondence he'd received from Lucina the day after Lucy was taken and it caused them to feel even more grief than they already did but at least the letter has offered up a plan of action in the form of joining up with Lucina (and the other Shepherds seemed very excited by the prospect of probably being able to see some of the other children again) which gave them something to focus on other than their own misery. Robin also insisted on coming along to save both the baby girl she knew and the doting son she couldn't remember and as soon as she had Chrom's permission to tag along with the Shepherds despite her amnesia (even though he bet that even wild horses wouldn't have been enough to keep her away), her sadness was replaced by that look of steely determination he was so used to seeing in the tactician's eyes.

"That's my bet." He murmured grimly.

Lucina's head snapped up then. "Your baby is missing?!"

"Ah, yes, she was kidnapped just a couple of nights ago and we've been frantically searching ever since. It seems like that's all I've been doing for the last few years...searching." Chrom muttered under his breath.

"Gee sorry for the inconvenience." Robin's sarcastic tone made him realize how that must've sounded to her.

"N-not that I'm complaining" Chrom back-peddled as he waved his hands frantically in front of him like he was trying to tame a wild animal. his ear burning as he recalled the soap dish that had once attacked it.

A wry smile flashed across her face, "Don't worry, I was just teasing."

"Teasing." Frederick- who has been standing guard by the tent's flap repeated. _How can she be teasing at a time like this, two of her children are missing!_ But he bit his tongue and decided against commenting but he still took a closer look at Robin. She seemed the same as she'd always been: dedicated to strategy, loving to her family and caring for her friends despite the amnesia but there was something...different about her eyes, they seemed full of bitterness and pain. _Of course, she did sacrifice her life and spent the past two years of her life in some form of limbo, she has a right to have changed a bit. But...her eyes didn't seem human. They weren't the eyes of Grima that longed for destruction and pain so there were no concerns in that regard they just seemed so...so..._

 _...twisted._

"Milord, may I be excused please? I want to check on how the other Shepherds are progressing."

The dumfounded Exalt was surprised by his request but still agreed to it.

"Is something amiss Frederick?" Robin asked curiously.

He managed to tug one side of his mouth up in a reassuring manner. "Not at all, Milady." He murmured as he bowed low before exiting the tent.

After a few brief moments of silence, the conversation continued; "Our first port of call should be to the town then to see if we can find any information of value there then; it's better than running around blindly hoping for them both to magically appear out of thin air." Robin advised.

"Yes, I agree with that." Lucina nodded and beamed up at her mother with awe in her eyes.

Chrom placed both hands on the table and leaned forward, "Then it's agreed, we leave at the break of dawn."

* * *

"Tharja?"

The booming voice caught the attention of the mage who was busy helping to set up the tent used for spells and magic.

"Intrude." She muttered sarcastically.

"My apologies for disturbing you but I wanted your aid with something."

She raised an eyebrow as she turned to face the brown-haired knight, "Hmm...what can I do for you? Help with your bear meat issues? Loosen you up a bit? Curse all of your future descendants into oblivion?"

Frederick frowned at that, although he knew she was joking it was rather difficult to accept since he'd met a version of his future child already but he chose to let it slide as he wanted to keep her on side. "Actually I wanted to inquire about Robin."

Tharja stiffened at that, her expression instantly becoming wary, "Robin, what about her?" She drawled.

Frederick's eyebrows knit together, "Do you believe she is under a curse of some kind."

Cocking her head to one side, Tharja let the question hang in the air as she considered her response. "Hmm...as far as I can tell she isn't but I aren't the expert of curses." She twisted her body away from Frederick and called to someone further back into the tent. "Henry!"

The other Plegian dark mage placed a huge pile of books down onto a nearby desk before turning to face Tharja who waved her hand to beckon him over.

"How can I help ya?" The seemingly ever-cheerful man asked.

"Can you detect a curse placed on Robin?"

The white-haired man moved a finger to his lips as he thought. "Hmm...nope, not at all."

Frederick looked at him and took a step towards him, reaching a hand out to place upon his shoulder, his eyes pleading with him to think harder. "Please, there must be some mistake."

"Well...there always could be, just because I'm great with curses doesn't mean I aren't privy to either missing them or making a mistake with them from time to time but I can tell you that I'm 99.99% sure that Robin doesn't have a curse, hex or other placed upon her at this moment in time."

Frederick staggered away from him and Tharja at that point, his hand going up to his heart, clutching it as his eyes widened with horror. "But that's impossible...!" He chocked out.

"Why is that." Tharja asked as she observed him, already having an inkling as to what he was going to say.

"Because-" Frederick turned to face in the direction of the tent flap, a little gap in them allowing him to see the already setting sun. "-if she isn't cursed then how she is now and how she's behaving is...by her own personal choice."

* * *

That night, he had that nightmare again.

The one that had haunted him for the last couple of years; the one about facing Grima and just like all those times before, he woke up drenched in sweat, tears streaming from his eyes. However, there was one noticeable difference this time.

He got up from his bed and fled from his tent to another one nearby without even bothering to put on a shirt or a pair of shoes, he pulled back the flap of the other tent and saw the figure stirring slightly in her own bed, no doubt disturbed by the sudden disturbance.

As quickly as he opened the flap, he closed it again and sank to the ground, a hand going up to cover his eyes as relief flooded through his veins now he knew that she was really back. Even though they couldn't share a bed together again just yet due to her memory loss, at least she was _there;_ blood in her veins, life in her eyes, colour in her cheeks. She could walk, talk strategize...love. For the last two years, he'd woke up knowing she _wasn't_ there but at least now whenever he had the nightmare, he knew that there was proof that it was just that...a figment of his imagination.

He didn't realise he'd begun crying again until his chest began to heave with his sobs.

"Milord, are you okay?!" Sumia asked him with concern as she went over to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Come on, lets get you back to your tent, you'll catch your death of cold!" She scolded as she escorted him back to his own tent.

When they were inches away from there, he came back to his senses slightly. "N-no, don't take me in there! Whilst the Shepherds know that nothing untoward would happen between us, if anyone else saw then it would be...problematic."

"Huh?!" Sumia looked confused for a moment before she realised that how it would look for her to be escorting the Exalt who was wearing only a pair of pyjama bottoms to his tent in the dead of night when she wasn't his wife. "Oh!" She jumped back as if she'd been scalded and almost tripped over her own two feet whilst doing so. "Woah!" A hand reached out to grip her arm, it was Chrom steadying her.

"Are you okay, Sumia?" He asked with concern.

"Few, yes I am Milord, honestly I'm supposed to be helping you not causing you trouble." She sighed before looking at his face that was still deeply troubled. "You dreamt about that day again, didn't you?" She asked although she already knew the answer.

It turned out that he wasn't the only one who suffered from bad dreams about their fight with Grima; shortly after those events, he'd overheard Nowi discussing her own nightmares with Ricken and Cordelia who also claimed to be haunted by that day and what their friend did for their sakes and that of the whole world and he wasn't the only one as many of the other Shepherds joined her with their own tales of woe and when he'd told them his nightmare, he was baffled by their responses.

Nowi went over to him and gave him a hug, Maribelle huffed and scolded him for being ridiculous because of course they would never have done what they did in his incubus and Vaike and Sully punched his arm playfully and gave their own little motivational speeches; honestly, he'd felt really bad for worrying them so by telling them in the first place.

He turned to face away from her, crossing his arms over his chest as he shivered- from either the cold, the remnants of the nightmare, or from both- he didn't know. "It's silly...I know I shouldn't be bothered by it anymore but..."

Sumia felt one side of her mouth pull up in a small smile, "Just because your circumstances have changed it doesn't mean your dreams will reflect those changes otherwise people still wouldn't be haunted by childhood nightmares."

"Heh, that's true enough I guess." They stood in silence for a few moments. "Anyway, we should both get some rest, it's an early rise tomorrow."

"Of course, goodnight Milord." Sumia murmured as she bowed slightly before her Exalt.

"Goodnight, Sumia."

Chrom opened the flap to his tent and walked inside, sighing to himself. For some reason he thought back to his first night back at home in Castle Ylisse after Robin disappeared. He'd avoided returning to that place for as long as possible whilst attending to his duties during the aftermath of the war but eventually he couldn't bear to be away from his baby anymore and so he'd gone back. He recalled seeing her for the first time since his return, she was no longer the newly-born babe that had graced his life with her presence but instead she was a near six-month-old bundle of energy and noise. It was surprising (and worrying) to him at first simply because he had no idea if she'd remember him or not (luckily she did for which he was still grateful). He'd felt as if he'd missed so much of her life by that point and yet he knew that time would pale in comparison to what Robin would miss- even is she missed a minute longer than him, it would still be so much precious time with her baby that would be taken from her.

 _"...I want Lucina to grow up with her whole family around her..."_

 _"As do I. You have my word."_

Those lines were said before they set off to Regna Ferox and they had brought with them a sharp twinge of sadness and pain when he'd thought about them that night. _'Yet another promise she felt forced to break.'_ He'd thought to himself as he held their daughter in his arms.

But that wasn't the worst part of it, later that evening when he was supposed to turn in for the night he found himself unable to fall asleep. He was lying in bed- _their_ bed- without Robin and that killed him. He'd vowed to himself that on the first night that they shared this bed together again after the war that he'd worship every inch, crevice and curve of her body but instead...he was alone. He tossed and turned and sometimes even found himself reaching over to where she used to lay to try and hold her only to recall the fact she wasn't there and start the whole process of grieving again. Eventually he gave up trying to sleep and instead went over to the balcony. He would sit upon it, bringing his knees up to his chest and staring out at the sky, the moon and the twinkling stars until he no longer had the energy to keep himself balanced and then he'd return inside to their room to sleep on the floor.

That lasted for a few weeks until Frederick caught wind of what he was doing and chose to remain guard in his room until he fell asleep in the bed.

"Heh, anyone would think she wasn't back the way I'm thinking about those times again." He muttered to himself with a wry smile which disappeared as quickly as it came. "No...until I can hold her in my arms again, until we can share a bed again; he return will never feel real to me. Damn, I love her so much, I just want my wife back!" He cried before collapsing to the floor in a heap yet again and allowing the tears to fall until he fell asleep.

* * *

"We should reach the town in only a few hours." Lucina stated just as they'd started to make their way.

"Then we should be able to continue our search further today? That's good to know." Chrom replied.

"Indeed" Robin smiled at them both.

Frederick's eyes narrowed when he saw that. "Milady, are you sure you're up to walking this distance? Even if it's not a long journey, you haven't had to travel with the Shepherds for a long while, you may find the strenuous exercise tiring and it's my duty to serve you as well so you may find the trek more bearable if you travel upon my horse." _I just need to find a way to keep an eye on her and to keep her away from Chrom until I can find out what's the matter with her._

Robin turned to narrow her own eyes at him. _He knows something._ She thought but just said, "No that's quite all right, thank you Frederick."

"You can carry me on the horse if you want, I'm the pregnant lady!" Lissa shouted from behind him, waving her arms in the air like a madwoman.

Frederick turned to smile at her, he was prepared for this. "I already offered this morning, Milady."

She crossed her arms across her chest and pouted in response. "Th-that's beside the point..." She muttered.

"...She walked further than we're going to be walking today yesterday." Chrom said, confusion colouring his tone.

To which Frederick nodded in response. "Indeed she did but you just said it yourself, we're planning to cover more ground than just this today after we visit the town, all the travelling may take it's toll on her."

Before either Chrom or Robin could respond, Tharja spoke up. "I agree with Frederick after all, I don't want my darling Robin wearing herself out." That was normally the truth but for the moment it was just an excuse so she could take Frederick's side without arousing suspicion. She knew that he trusted Robin still- as did she- they both presumed that something must be wrong because she wouldn't just betray the people she sacrificed herself to save but until they knew exactly what was going on, they had to play it safe.

Lucina smiled at her mother, "Well...the offer is there, you may as well take it."

Robin rolled her eyes. "Oh very well but just this once after all, I'll have to get used to this again eventually."

Lucina helped her up onto the horse and then they all began walking again.

After about half an hour of silence and after the attention drifted away from them, Frederick spoke up. "Just what are you up to Robin?" He whispered.

"Hmm...I'm not sure what you mean."

"You know perfectly well what I mean. Look if this is just some elaborate ruse as part of a strategy or something then I understand but you're taking it too far!"

Robin cocked her head to one side although he couldn't see as he was still looking straight ahead so as now to attract attention. "Am I now? Well...how have I 'taken it too far' exactly?"

"You know something about Lucy and Morgan's whereabouts, don't you?"

"What a wild accusation to throw at your amnesiac queen."

Frederick felt his fury begin to rise at the apparent glee in her tone- _I don't care what Henry said, this isn't like Robin at all! She must be under a spell of some sort._ "An amnesiac who had to meet both versions of her daughter in person before recalling them but took the word of the Exalt when it came to your son from an alternate future as gospel." He bit back.

"Well...amnesia is a hard thing to pin down, for all you know just hearing his name was enough to stir up some maternal feelings towards him. Besides, both versions of Lucy are Daddy's girls whereas from what I've heard Morgan longed to follow in my footsteps."

"So what, Lucina loves you just as much as her father and it's her duty to become Exalt when he is no longer around so it makes sense for her to be more like him in that regard- you aren't that petty Robin!"- He took a deep breath to calm himself.- "I-I aren't angry at you, I just want to help you overcome whatever... _this_ is but I can't do that unless you talk to me. If you don't, I may have to warn the other Shepherds including Milord, Milady and Lucina about you and may have to take you into custody until we return home."

"Oh you will, will you? And how are you going to convince Chrom to allow you to get away with such a thing, huh? He'd never believe you without proof..." She leaned in close so she could whisper into his ear. "...And from what I can tell, proof is something you're currently lacking, am I right? Challenging the master tactician to a game of strategy will only end in tears, best keep that in mind 'Freddy Bear'."

The knight stiffened at that and his skin began to crawl but he didn't respond. No one had referred to him as that in front of her since her return, another inconsistency with her second bout of amnesia perhaps?

Or maybe...she didn't have amnesia at all?

* * *

What...you didn't think I'd just rehash the original 'Awakening' amnesia scenario, did ya? I thought you all thought better of me than that. Jokes. =') I hope all of your theories keep coming in about this story ('cause I love reading 'em) and I really hope that you won't have to wait as long for the nest update. **P.S. I could really use some help coming up with some place names for both the upcoming town and the desert town/kingdom so suggestions are welcome. I'm also trying to work out which pairings I should go for just in case I need to refer to them at some point so feel free to contribute to that but know that I may not go for them. =)** Until next time. xXx


	7. Hidden Depths

Ugh...I'm so sorry about the long wait...again. Dx

Thank you for your continued patience, I really am trying to update my stories as much as possible but, you know, life.

I think this Chapter starts off pretty weak but towards the middle, it really starts to pick up and I love it.

 ***Spoilers Warning*** Definite spoilers about the 'true' end of 'Awakening'. Also spoilers about other elements of the plot throughout the game.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing to do with 'Fire Emblem [Awakening]', its locations, characters etc. All rights go to their respective owners.

 **Rated T. (*Warning*** Contains language which may upset some people as well as violence, discussions of torture and death.)

* * *

 **Together Again?: Hidden Depths**

That same night, someone had a dream. In that dream they were in the presence of a small child with all the usual traits you could expect of someone who hadn't experienced any of the darkness the world had to offer. Except...they already had for as the figure approached the babe, the child tried to meet them half-way but they only managed to take a few steps before being restrained by the shackles attached to their wrists and ankles.

The visitor smiled sadly at the sight of the infant in such a state, they were deep underground and the toddler had never seen the sunlight, heard a bird chirp or felt a gentle breeze.

 **"This is how things must be!"** Hissed the child's father when they had dared to question why the child was kept as a prisoner and why they couldn't journey with them around their town. The father explained how if anyone knew of the babe's existence and what they were capable of doing then they'd be dead before they could complete their purpose. To which his reluctant guest shakily agreed with- there was only a select few who knew the child was even born to their ruler and they had no choice but to accept the minor's fate.

That same minor despite their predicament still had the biggest smile and their hands reached out frantically, trying to grab a hold of their guest.

"Hey their little one."- They cooed as they sat cross-legged on the floor and moved their bag to one side. They wanted to hold the child or to stroke their hair or even just to feel their fingertips but they weren't at liberties to; it was one of _his_ rules.

Sighing inwardly, the visitor spoke to the infant again. "I've brought more books, I have to work out plans for tomorrow...do you want to help me?"

The child didn't know many words- not getting to talk to many people that often meant their ability to communicate was limited but they still contemplated before nodding vigorously.

It was a sad sight for the them to see- so sad in fact that it jolted them out of their sleep.

The figure ran a hand through their hair- they knew that these things didn't actually happen the way they did in the dream for example yes, the infant _was_ shackled but not under his orders, but by their own- in order to protect the babe from him and his plans, the infant had been hidden deep underground practically from birth and barely allowed contact with anyone. During that time, they read many books together and discussed many things but all the while, the child was using what they'd managed to glean from books and conversations to come up with an escape route and just like most of their plans- it somehow managed to work.

* * *

"Excuse us, have you seen a boy of about eighteen, blue hair, and really err...high spirited?" Chrom muttered to an elderly shop keeper.

The shop keep contemplated as she watched two of his companions- a knight and a mysterious hooded woman enter her shop, a blue-haired girl was looking around in awe at her wares. Turning her attention back to the man in front of her. "I've seen many people in my time young man, what makes you think I'd recall someone with such a vague description as that?"

Frederick was going to protest about how she was addressing royalty but Chrom held him back. They had somehow managed to end up in a town that didn't seem to know Ylisse's royalty which Chrom could see as being a benefit for his son from an alternate time should he want to go around virtually undetected.

 **...**

 **… ...**

 **… … ...**

After they'd visited the bookstore nearly two weeks of traveling previously, they found out that the scroll he was so engrossed by detailed a mysterious town protected by large walls in the middle of a desert. It was claimed that the people who lived within its confines were brutes and warriors who killed anyone without hesitation. No one had ever gone there and come back again. Despite the harsh living conditions, the town apparently thrived and there were many who sought to solve its mysteries. One of the books he purchased detailed the town's histories and the other was one of his normal strategy books which made Robin beam with pride and Frederick pursed his lips at her response.

Since their travelling together on the horse- their had been a noticeable tension between the two. Chrom hadn't seen this level of suspicion and distrust since he'd first met Robin and Frederick had warned him of the dangers of trusting a complete stranger. Every time he'd asked Frederick about it, the knight shifted uncomfortably before telling him that he should be wary of Robin- the second such warning to come from a Shepherd and it was quickly followed by others. Gaius, Lon'qu, Miriel and Cordelia had all come to him with their own concerns.

"She's not the same, something is...off with her. We've fought by her side for many years and whilst we accept that she's going through some stuff right now, she's gone through plenty worse before and always remained the same, As her husband you may argue that you know her best but you aren't looking at things objectively- you don't want to think that there's a possibility that she's working against us rather than with us but as out leader, it is your duty to plan for all situations and outcomes." Lon'qu had stated to the stunned Exalt before stalking away just days ago.

Since then Chrom had spent more time observing Robin- maybe it was because he got to see sides of her that even the Shepherds hadn't- but she seemed virtually the same to him. There was a mischievous glint to her eyes, a lust for knowledge and a childlike innocence every time she saw something she couldn't remember having seen before. She spent hours reading maps and helping around camp and a few nights ago, Chrom had been walking back to camp after a quick patrol and found his wife sitting on one of the logs that had been set up around their campfire with Lucina's head resting on her lap; she was looking up at the stars and humming softly whilst running her hands through her daughter's hair- he noticed her cloak next to her leaving her arms bare.

Chrom didn't want to disturb the tender moment between mother and daughter but he was already walking towards them and speaking before he could stop himself. "Nice evening huh?" _Talk about a cliché thing to say!_ He'd scolded himself.

"What-?!" Robin jumped slightly and twisted her head to look at him as he sat down next to her and his daughter who he could see now was fast asleep- her face relaxed and reminding him so much of his baby who (surprise, surprise) had the exact same face when asleep- so innocent and peaceful- it was nice to know that his baby would retain that face when sleeping throughout her life- a sign that she'd always be his and Robin's baby girl in some way.

"Y-yeah." Robin stuttered before turning back to look up at the stars.

There was an awkward silence between the two, Chrom removed one of his gloves and brushed a hand over his daughter's face, moving some hair out of her eyes, she shifted a little in her sleep before settling back down.

"You know I often wonder..." He found himself beginning even though he wasn't sure what was exactly going to follow. "...what we were like in her time. Similar things happened to her here that then happened in our world but unlike then, she and the other children we're all born before I...before I died and you disappeared. In this time if you hadn't saved me- saved _us-_ then who knows what that would've meant for the children who weren't born? Maybe some or even the majority of them wouldn't have been born at all and then there would've been no hope for this world? That's why the role you played was so important, if it wasn't for you, none of us would be here now, Lucina- both Lucinas-, Morgan and all the other children too would never know peace."

Robin was now looking down at their daughter seemingly deep in thought. "Chrom?"

His head jolted when she spoke like loyal puppy responding to its master. "Yes Robin?"

She bit her lip, hesitating before finally speaking. "Why did...why did I have to come back?"

"WHA-?!"

"I just mean what was the point? Now the wars are over there's no need for a superior tactician, Lucy has functioned well enough without me heck, all of you have. I don't doubt that it was difficult to begin with but now you have to adjust to having me back. You somehow have to explain that to a kingdom that's already grieved their queen, I'll never be able to get those two years with Lucina back. I did what needed to be done...why did the universe decide that _my_ unfinished business was so darn important when compared to that of others who have passed? Innocents who passed will never come back but the host for a fell dragon? Sure, why not?"

Chrom felt as if his heart was shattering into a million pieces-blinding hot rage went through him at her words. "Stop! I don't ever want to hear you talking like that again Robin! I waited so long for you- we all did and we did so because we need you so much. Lucy needs her mother, even if there are no wars we will need our tactician to protect our kingdom and people and our Kingdom will sleep more peacefully knowing that the ever-rational queen is there to keep an eye on her ever-emotional husband.

"...And besides," He continued as he blinked back tears. "I don't want to live without you again- _couldn't_ live without you again. There was so much I never got the chance to experience with you since we were always at war. You've never been to a beach or visited a hot spring, you've never just taken a stroll with me through a park or eaten a picnic, you've never gotten to celebrate Lucina's birthday and-" He bit his lip, cutting himself off.

When he looked up, he could see her staring at him, she reached a hand towards his face and brushed a few tears away- apparently he hadn't been able to keep from crying after all. She smiled knowingly at him, "Heh okay, I get it there's still a lot of reasons for me to stick around and besides...by the looks of things you wouldn't be able to cope without me." She winked and he laughed.

He moved his free hand towards Robin's, wanting to feel close to her even if she couldn't remember him when out of the corner of his eye, he saw something on her bare arm.

"What's this?" He murmured as his hand floated upwards to her arm to brush over the strange marking. It was on the opposite side to his brand of the Exalt but this was nothing like that, this filled him with dread and horror as he realised what it was. He'd seen enough cows grazing in fields on his travels 'round to know how a brand like this was made- a red hot poker.

And someone had used one on her.

 **"Don't touch that!"** Robin bellowed as she pulled away from him and unceremoniously dropped Lucina's head onto the log in the process.

"Ow!" The princess yelped as she sat up.

"Sorry." Robin muttered curtly before grabbing her cloak and storming off towards her tent.

The two sat in a stunned silence. "What was that about?" Lucina asked her father.

He shook his head. "I have no idea." He lied, his fingers still burning from the contact with her brand.

 **...**

 **… ...**

 **… … …**

Chrom snapped out of his reverie. "Please miss, I know it's a vague description but try to remember- you own the last stall that we had to visit in town and if you can't tell us anything then we'd have reached a dead end and it's vital we find him!"

The woman behind the counter contemplated for a moment, her attention drawn towards Robin. Her pink hair covering one of her eyes as she looked at a book on a nearby counter.

"What strange company you keep." The old woman muttered whilst stroking her chin. "I'm sorry, I can't help you, I haven't seen anyone who matches the description you gave me- as vague as it was."

A cry escaped from Chrom's lips; if they couldn't find Morgan then there was chance they wouldn't be able to find baby Lucina either and both of those things put together would put him back into a state not too dissimilar to the one he'd been in when Robin 'died'.

"Milord, may I suggest we try to track down this town in the desert? If Morgan was researching it before he disappeared and this is the town where his trail runs cold, it stands to reason that he stopped visiting towns and went to look for the town instead." Frederick suggested.

"But that wouldn't make any sense!" Robin countered, "There's been no mention of him keeping company- are you really suggesting he went into the desert alone to find this town knowing full well after his research what the people of the town are apparently like? It'd be suicide."

Frederick begrudgingly turned to face her. "It's the last lead we have."

"Even so, we have no idea where this desert is and nowhere near enough supplies to take our entire company with us!"

 **"HE'S YOUR SON AND YOUR DAUGHTER IS ALSO MISSING!"** Frederick snarled.

Lucina looked up from the wares then, her eyes going wide. She'd never seen Frederick lose his cool like that with anyone let alone with her mother. She walked over to her mother like she was still a little girl seeking protection from a stranger but instead of pulling on her pant leg, she pulled on her mother's cloak, trying to take them both away to safety. "Mother, let's leave Father alone to have a word with Frederick."

Robin acted as if she hadn't even heard her, she was seething with rage and disgust. "I know who they are, I don't need you to remind me!" She spat before spinning on her heel and storming out of the store with Lucina in tow.

Before either Chrom or Frederick could say a word, the elderly woman spoke up. "Like I said, strange company. Now, I haven't seen the boy but I know of this town in the desert that you seek. There is forest near here, passing through it will eventually lead you to the desert but I don't recommend crossing it. Nobody knows where the town is- some superstitious old crones believe it moves with the sands in the winds but clearly, I'm not one of them. My name is Madame Ulima, remember it when you need my stories to guide your way." She then gestured with her hand towards the door, prompting both men to leave.

When they both stepped out of the store they were as silent as mice.

"Forgive me for losing my temper, milord, it won't happen again."

Chrom rested his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Peace my friend, this situation is getting to us all."

Frederick smiled before speaking "We'd be best sending the flying units to scout out the desert, I'll-"

He was cut off by the sound of a woman's scream. She came flying through the woods, dropping the water she'd gone to collect. "They're here! The bandits are back!"

Even before Chrom could register her words, a horn sounded and the town became bursting with sound and movement. As the woman ran past him, he made a grab for her arm. She was about to cry out again when he spoke "How long until they reach the town?"

"Two minutes, Sir, many travel by horse."

 _Great._ He thought. "Get as many people as you can out of here, don't waste your time with belongings, I have soldiers with me, we'll hold off the bandits as best we can, understand?"

She nodded before sprinting away.

"Milord!" Maribelle called as the Shepherds met up with him, Robin and Lucina were with them and so was Lissa... _damn._

"Lissa, you need to hide, now! Lon'qu, Stahl, Sully, go with her."

"What?! No I'm staying here!"

"No you're not Lissa, now go!"

She was about to protest further when a firm grip pulled her back. "Let's go!" Lon'qu muttered curtly...you could tell when a situation was serious when he'd put his phobia to one side.

When both Lon'qu and Lissa were on the horses and had galloped away, Chrom sent Maribelle, Cordelia and Frederick to guard and heal the fleeing townspeople. He'd just done that when the thunderous roar of hooves came towards them.

The sounds of weapons being drawn and the sound of his own leaving its scabbard was enough to put him in the mind-frame for battle. Lucina came up to flank him ad did Robin and they waited with bated breath for the hooligans to approach them.

When they did, there was no time for thinking, no time for hesitation, Miriel used wind magic to startle the horses, knocking many of their riders to the ground. Cherche intercepted those who managed to stay on their steeds whilst Robin barked orders to those who needed them. Kellam and Gaius snuck up behind their forces whilst Virion tried to make the men drop their torches before they could light any buildings on fire.

All of this was so familiar to Chrom- familiar to them all actually- they knew what was expected of them and what they were capable of and yet...

The men kept hold of the reigns and to their torches, they quickly spotted Gaius and were unsurprised when attacked by Kellam, arrows, magic and weapons made contact with them but they didn't even flinch. Heck, even Cherche's dragon wasn't scaring them!

Despite the difficulties they faced, they still managed to cut down some of their ranks, a female soldier was caught off-guard by Lucina whilst two males couldn't survive against Robin's battle prowess. But they were quickly growing tired.

 _This is just like then..._ Chrom had the fleeting thought and realised that it was true, this is just like when they fought the bandits that tried to attack Ylisstol. The sheer numbers, the similar level of skill, how little they were phased by their battle tactics. _If they're here does that mean...?_

Almost as if on cue, a sultry voice spoke up. "My, my, you just can't keep yourselves from meddling, can you?"

Chrom's forces stiffened as did her own but unlike his who froze with dread, her forces froze out of respect, parting to reveal her to their enemies.

She was wearing a long black dress today which was luckily lacking in the revealing department. She still wore the wig, the eccentric make-up and jewellery and her feet were still bare. She was also still in that chair.

"I will never stop meddling where bandits are involved, you cowards deserve all you get." Chrom seethed.

"Ha!" She scoffed, covering her mouth with her hand. "That's rich considering all you've took from me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oho, you'll find out soon enough." She muttered as she clicked her fingers and ordered to be put down on the ground, she then stood in front of them, looking out of place in this small-town setting.

"What is your name?" Tharja asked.

The woman's attention turned to her and her expression distorted with mock shock. "My, my, a dark mage who hasn't heard of me, I'm offended."

"Name." The unimpressed mage repeated.

"My name is Calypso, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"I wish I could say the feeling was mutual." Chrom spat.

Her attention quickly turned back to him and that unnerving smile slid over her face again. "Why you should be absolutely ecstatic to meet me, you know my daughter quite well after all."

His eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "Your daughter."

"Who is it?" Lucina asked, there were many females travelling with Chrom, some of whom he'd known since childhood, he was close to all of his Shepherds...she really wasn't narrowing the suspects down.

Her head snapped around to look at her then and Chrom had to resist the urge to step between them. "Why who indeed?"

With a flamboyant turn away from them she walked back towards her throne like she was putting on a theatrical play before waving her hand towards them. "Reveal yourself my daughter, my heir, come home to your Mother dearest."

No one stepped forward at first- confusion passed over the Shepherds like a wave before finally a figure stalked towards the throne with dignified purpose, gasps rose up from all of them, Chrom included as he started towards the figure.

"Robin?!" Chrom made a grasp for her wrist, trying to pull her back to him but she lifted it up at the last second to pull her hood down as she turned her face over her shoulder to gaze at the Shepherds; her eyes were crazed and manic and her mouth was twisted in an inhuman way. This was different from when she was possessed by Grima- that time, she'd been a reluctant host to his whims and desires but now...now she looked like a willing participant in this woman's schemes.

"Congratulations! The woman drawled but Chrom didn't even bother to look at her as she spoke, he was too fixated on his love who had already been through so much and who still wasn't allowed to experience peace- his heart was being torn apart as he thought about how much he'd failed her and continued to do so even now she was back. "You've gained yourself a mother-in-law."

* * *

Can someone just please let Robin and Chrom be! Wait...I'm writing this story...oops. xD Until next time. xXx


	8. Town in the Desert

Another update?! And so soon?! I can hardly believe it. xD

This is definitely my favourite Chapter of this story so far, I think it's incredible if I do say so myself but I'll leave it to you lovely readers to decide.

I think this sets up a lot of where this story is going to go in future and what it's going to focus upon and I really hope you like it.

 ***Spoilers Warning*** Definite spoilers about the 'true' end of 'Awakening'. Also spoilers about other elements of the plot throughout the game.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing to do with 'Fire Emblem [Awakening]', its locations, characters etc. All rights go to their respective owners.

 **Rated T. (*Warning*** Contains 'dark' language, themes and suggestions, mentions of torture and seduction as well as violence.)

* * *

 **T** **ogether Again? Town in the Desert**

"Ow!" Lucina muttered as quietly as she could not wanting to draw any attention to herself.

It didn't work as her father halted in his tracks and turned to face her which was exactly what she wanted to avoid as she didn't want to get him in trouble. Currently all of the Shepherds besides those her father sent away whilst the town was being attacked were chained up in two long lines (apart from poor Nowi and Panne who due to their abilities were both chained and caged) and we're being forced to cross the desert under the heavy guard of Calypso and her soldiers. "You all right?" He asked.

"Yes sorry, just got some sand in my eye is all." She murmured.

Chrom nodded in response and was about to turn around to carry on walking when one of the more muscular men came towards them. "Hey, hey, what's with the yappin'?" He asked them, a slight snarl to their voice as he grabbed the chain that linked father to daughter and gave it a sharp tug, making them wince as their already bruised and torn skin was irritated even further. The man sneered at them with delight in his eyes clearly enjoying their misery. He was incredibly tanned and wore only two ebony belts over each arm which formed a cross over his chest which was otherwise bare and hooked onto the belt of his black trousers. His long raven black hair was pulled into a pony tail and his eyes were rimmed with charcoal; it was like he'd never seen any other colour before. He was also rather young compared to the other soldiers, looking to be only about twenty-five and he wore two blades at his hips.

"Sorry." Chrom grunted, looking dishevelled and utterly broken, nothing like the man his daughter knew.

"I still hear talking!" The man bellowed which caught the attention of someone else...

"Samael!" A female voiced sounded out as she approached. Both Chrom's and Lucina's gazes shifted from the soldier to the woman and sadness filled their eyes as they rested upon her. She was dressed in her usual attire except her cloak was tied around her waist. She was the only Shepherd that wasn't chained up and that was because- because she was working with the enemy.

"Robin!" This _Samael_ cried out with glee and as soon as she was close enough, he wrapped one of his massive arms around her small frame; he was nearly a head and a half taller than her and clearly had more physical strength but he didn't seem to hold back when it came to nudging her closer into his embrace.

Both Chrom and Lucina shared a look, it was clear they both expected the tactician to push him away or at the very least look uncomfortable with the embrace but instead she just rolled her eyes at him like this kind of thing happened all the time. "Honeslty Samael."- She shot a withering sigh at him and lowered her head but then lifted it again with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "What's going on here?" She asked.

Up until now, Robin had been walking at the back of both of the line whilst Chrom and Lucina were at the front meaning they hadn't had the chance to question her or to save her. She normally only had a tome and a sword with her but at the moment she was currently carrying two others- the two falchions which had been stripped off them the second Chrom surrendered to them after they threatened Robin's well-being and she'd just accepted it like a puppet whose master had pulled her strings. He hadn't just made the decision alone, all of the Shepherds agreed to it both to keep their friend safe and to protect the town that Calypso had gone to attack. They had hoped that she'd use the confiscated weapons to pull off some brilliant scheme- like she always did but after two days of walking with minimal rest, that hope had died out like a flame in a storm...

"These two don't know when to keep their mouths shut." He smirked as he answered Robin's question.

"Is that so?" For the first time since she'd revealed herself as Calypso's daughter, Robin made eye contact with the exalt who also had roles as her commander...

...And as her husband.

A husband with whom she had a child with no less! Chrom met her gaze with so much regret, pain and... _love_ that it hurt her to look at him. Despite all she'd done to him and the people he cared about and yet, he still found it within himself to give a damn about her. Honestly it was so...so...

 _Pitiful._

"Robin."- He pleaded.- "Talk to me please! What's going on? Who are these people, how did you meet them? You were- you were _dead_." She saw him swallow as he tried to force that word out. "For two years you weren't here so how-?"

 _Darkness._ That's all she saw when she thought back to being 'dead', it felt like there should be an image there but there wasn't and all she could recall after darkness was the torture chamber, the chains, the whips and the branding iron among others...there were screams from her, glee from her mother and from _that_ person and then it finally stopped when they made her give in.

She shook her head to clear the memories that had invaded her mind and placed her mask of nonchalance back on as she met Chrom's gaze. "Who's to say I wasn't here?" She spat at him, loathing clear in her voice. "What? You thought that the universe was kind enough to magically plop your wife back in the exact same spot you first found her?! The universe isn't that kind especially to people like _me-_ for nearly a year I waited, waited for you to find me, to save me and you didn't, _Mother_ did and now...now I owe her." Her eyes cast downwards at that and her arms wrapped around herself protectively, the brand on her arm was burning and not with the heat of the blazing sun.

"Robin." Chrom cried out her name- gods he wanted to run over to her and hold her in his arms but instead _he_ did.

"D'aww...it brings a tear to me eye." Samael wiped a finger under his left eye in mock sadness. It was only then when both Chrom and Lucina noticed that one of his eyes was a striking shade of amber and the other emerald green and they were both dancing with mischief. "Don't worry yourself _Exalt_ we'll take excellent care of your wife. _I_ will especially, we've hit it off quite well and I'm sure the experience will be... _pleasurable_."

It happened so suddenly, the man in black pretended to bow before Chrom with fake respect and Chrom saw red; despite the chains, the heat and all of his misery, he launched himself at the hulking figure of a man, wrapping the chain on his arms around his neck and squeezing as hard as he could, _he's strong but lacks speed._ Chrom thought as he continued to attack the man who antagonized him just by existing.

"Father!" Lucina cried trying to reach for him as best she could as the other Shepherds pulled up short and looked on in horror as their commander attacked Samael over and over again. But then a blast of magic startled both of the men and the blue-haired woman into a startled silence.

"Will you two knock it off?! We've made it!" Robin muttered with contempt.

Chrom turned to try and get a glimpse of the 'town in the desert'- turning away from his enemy, a rookie's mistake and Samael used that moment of opportunity to break himself free of the chains, forcing Chrom to stagger backwards before delivering a hard punch to the exalt's gut...

...And the world went dark.

* * *

 _...A couple of days previously..._

"They aren't back yet!" Lissa cried out. Night was closing in around them at a rapid pace and she shuddered with the cold. She was sat on-top of Sully's horse whilst Lon'qu was on the back of Stahl's, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword in case of an emergency.

They'd hidden themselves quite far away from the town and had started to travel back about an hour ago, the journey was tiring and strange without all of their usual company to keep them entertained but eventually they saw torches in the distance. They approached cautiously until they heard a deep voice call out to them:

"Milady?" It was Frederick and as they looked again at the torches, they saw the figures that were resting under their glow. Cordelia was helping with the town's children whilst Maribelle was still healing whoever needed their help.

But they were the only Shepherds she could see hence her exclamation directed at Frederick.

Frederick shook his head. "I'm afraid not." Frederick and the other two seem to have led the townspeople to the camp they'd used the previous night which meant it would've been easy enough to track them down especially with the skills at their disposal.

"Then we should go look for 'em!" Sully muttered, pulling on the reigns of her horse to get moving.

Frederick frowned. "It's dark Sully and we can't leave these people unguarded."

"I don't care how dark it is, it's strange that they aren't back yet especially with Chrom and Robin at the helm- they should already _be_ here! In fact, they should've been here hours ago."

"We can't all go." Stahl pointed out.

"-And Lissa is no doubt exhausted." Interjected Lon'qu.

"No I'm fine!" Lissa protested but a yawn escaped from her lips regardless.

Frederick processed what everyone had said before sighing. "Lissa, Lon'qu, Stahl- you three remain here with Maribelle and guard the villagers- apart from you Lissa, you need your rest-"

"Hmph! Lissa muttered, crossing her arms and pouting like a child having a tantrum.

Frederick ignored her. "Cordelia!" He called and the Pegasus Knight came over. "Myself, you and Sully will head back to the town to check on both its state and that of our comrades."

"Yes sir." She nodded and went to grab her Pegasus and Frederick's horse.

After they went their separate ways, Frederick could sense that they were all uneasy about what they'd find. Eventually they got to the town and...

...It was fine. Apart from a few buildings near the forest where the invaders came from, all the other buildings were intact however, whilst that was good news that they could pass on to the townspeople, the fact of the matter was that the town shouldn't _be_ empty, if the Shepherds weren't back at the camp and Sully and the others hadn't come across them on the way back from hiding then they should in theory still be here.

But they were nowhere to be seen.

"What in damnation?!" Sully exclaimed.

Frederick jumped down from his horse and looked at the ground. "There are foot markings here that seem to point to a struggle, fighting definitely took place."

"No crap." Sully muttered whilst rolling her eyes.

"You two!-" Cordelia cried as she swooped down closer to them. "There are a few enemy bodies nearby, they look like they belonged to soldiers who were with that woman we met outside Ylisstol."

Both of them snapped their heads up at her and their eyes widened in surprise at her report.

"They must be from that town we've been hearing so much about which means we'll need to prepare to cross the desert."

"But there are so few of us." Cordelia pointed out.

"-And we have no idea which way to go." Sully added.

Frederick lowered his gaze, looking dejected. _I should've never left Milord's side!_ He scolded himself.

"Then perhaps I can be of help." A familiar voice spoke up from amidst the trees which caused all three of them to whip their heads around to see an old lady appearing with her arms behind her back.

All of them looked black for a minute as they tried to place the voice and then Frederick gasped suddenly. "Madame Ulima!"

"My, my, anyone would think you haven't seen me in over ten years when you react like that!" She chuckled.

"Apologies it's just we seemed to have reached an impasse when you turned up and I recalled that you told us to come see you should we need your stories."

"I'm pretty sure it is _I_ who came to _you._ But...no matter, down to business; the town you are looking for lies far west from here, it's nearly two days of travelling and that's only if you barely stop otherwise it takes nearly double that which no doubt sounds bearable to seasoned travellers such as yourselves but the desert is an unruly beast when approached without care." She took in their nearly empty pouches upon their steeds. "Or without the proper supplies."

"Well we'll have to try, we can't just leave our friends to those barbarians!" Snarled Sully at the old woman which caused her sly gaze to snap to hers.

"They are not as barbaric as the rumours claim them to be-" She looked down at her palm for a moment, pain glinting in her ancient eyes before she whispered. "-At least, they weren't always."

Sully scoffed. "Please, how does an old fossil like you know something like that?!"

Anger glinted in her expression. "Because this _'old fossil'_ used to be their queen!"

* * *

A groan of pain escaped from the man's lips as he pushed himself up from the hard ground. He still felt really weak and like he could sleep for another hundred years and still be tired but the sound of an iron gate closing nearby caught his attention.

He had no idea how long he'd already been here for but he assumed it to be a few hours at least due to the lack of light coming in through the small window he had. He sighed to himself, feeling like such a weakling due to how easily he'd been subdued (he'd fought Grima for gods' sake!) but he mainly felt anger at himself for well... _everything._

He was about to bury himself back onto the hard ground when he heard footsteps behind him which made him twist in their direction as best he could considering the pain he was in and he was surprised to find out that his visitor was...

"Robin!" He gasped, his pain all but forgotten as he tried to get closer to her but she stepped back towards the gate of his cell which hurt him more than any punch could.

"I aren't here for you, I'm just giving out water and some food to all the prisoners and you happened to be the last one on the list."

His eyebrows pulled together in confusion and he took in his surroundings and true enough there were more cells lining the walls, there seemed to be an endless supply of them!

"Lucina! Where is she?!" Chrom asked, pleading with his wife to tell him.

"Which one?"

"Either- both of them! Just please, they're our children!" He felt so pathetic right now but he was still reeling from Robin's earlier words and from his run in with Samael, he'd need more rest and time to process things before he could think of a way to either escape or fight back and he was pretty sure his Shepherds would need a rest too after the long journey through the sands.

"Lucina is in a cell further down and as for baby Lucy-" Her hand went up to her heart and her eyes filled with love and warmth at those words, a slight smile grazing her lips and just that sight alone was enough to make his heart melt, _she isn't completely gone._ The relief at knowing that fact alone was enough to make him return her slight smile with one of his own. "She's all right and she's safe and sound so don't worry about her, I won't let anything hurt her."

"Robin." Her name came out as a sigh from his lips and he tried to stand but couldn't get his arms and legs to respond. "Ugh!" He groaned.

"Chrom!" She cried out and she fell to his knees in front of him and brought the bowl of water to his lips, gripping his hair in order to guide his lips and he gulped it down greedily not realising how parched he actually was. "W-why do this? After what you said, it almost seemed as if you hated me so why care for me now?"

"Chrom." She whispered his name this time with a certain amount of reverence in her tone and then she winced suddenly. "Ow!" She cried, her hand moving from the back of his hair towards her own head she sat like that with a pained expression for a few more seconds before shooting up away from him.

This time he managed to pull himself up from the ground and he approached her. "What is it, what's wrong? Is this like when Validar and Grima were controlling you, do you not have a say in what you're doing right now?"

He shouldn't have said that.

Fury and rage blazed in her eyes as she pulled away from him again. "Please, don't flatter me like that and don't treat me like if I choose to stand against you then it's because of forces out of my control! I do not hate you Chrom and that's the problem I _should_ hate you and you should hate me in return; I tainted your bloodline, killed you in numerous worlds, left you alone to raise our child and have failed and hurt you time and time again! I was never meant to be loved and I was never made to love another.

"When I was found again by mother she- she treated me the way I deserved to be treated."

Confusion made him pull his eyebrows together and then realisation came over him like a wave- his jaw worked as he tried to control his rage. "That mark on your arm- did she do that to you?!"

Her hand shot up to her arm and covered where the mark would be if it was visible. "She didn't do it per se, she just helped someone else to do it. It's there to remind me that I aren't human- I am and always will be a monster and as such, my place is here amongst other monsters.

His hand moved up to her face, coaxing her to look at him and despite a subtle flinch, she didn't push him away. "You are not a monster, you saved us all. Whatever she's told you- whatever plans she has for you, you do not have to play a part in them, you are _you_ Robin and the Shepherds, our children and of course myself see _you._ The mark is no longer on your hand- you and Grima are no longer related to each other. I-I'm so sorry I wasn't the one to find you but-"

"My, my, my what do we have here?" A sultry voice sounded from outside his cell.

Robin gasped in horror, pulling away from Chrom like he'd burned her and that look from earlier- that menacing, inhuman look came back like a mask snapping into place. Chrom looked past her at the owner of the voice- Samael- and was surprised to see he wasn't alone, at his side was a hooded figure. The was on a cloak but it wasn't a Plegian one like Chrom was used to seeing.

"Samael, my apologies, he was distracting me. I think it's best if someone else brings him his rations from now on, it turns out my pathetic heart still can't be trusted."

"No!" Chrom cried. _Her visiting him would be his only chances to help her- if this was going to be the only time she came to see him..._

A key sounded in the lock on his cell and as soon as it was open, the hooded figure gripped her arm where her brand was and she screamed in agony as she was dragged out of her cell. "I did this to you once before but there's still plenty more places on your body for me to mark with a branding iron- don't you ever forget it!" A male voiced hissed and it sounded so familiar to Chrom's ears but he couldn't place it exactly. "Now go!" He launched her towards the exit and without another word or glance in their direction, she pulled up her own hood and left.

Chrom saw no reason to hold back after what he just witnessed and he tried to make a grab for the hooded figure who had just admitted to hurting her but at the last second, the cell door crashed shut in front of him and the key turned once more. But in the process of reaching for the hidden person, his fingers brushed against the hood and knocked it away from his head and the person it revealed underneath shocked Chrom to his very core- his whole body went cold and his expression turned to one of horror rather than anger.

"Well, well, well, looks like your secret it out." Samael drawled before laughing like he'd just heard the funniest joke imaginable. "This is such a touching reunion between the two of you- am I in the way? I can always go and spend some time with Robin- we can get better acquainted whilst you two take a trip down memory lane."

Chrom knew his words should've made him lunge for the smug man again who kept hinting at the fact that he was trying to bed his wife but he was too distracted by the hair that matched his own and the eyes that matched his mother's. "Morgan?!" He whispered, taking a step back from his grown-up son from an alternate future.

"Hello father." Morgan replied, pulling his hood back up to cover his face again. "I never imagined we'd meet again like this."

Neither did Chrom.

* * *

I really like Samael- he's definitely my favourite OC thus far and also shock, gasp and horror at that last reveal am I right? =O Until next time. xXx


	9. Origins

***Notice*: I have changed Robin's appearance to the default one for simplicity's sake, I honestly have grown to prefer Chrom with the default Robin rather than with a custom one and so have gone back to change this however, if anyone sees any mentions of the custom appearance within the previous Chapters then message me and I shall change them.**

I'm still reeling after the last Chapter and I'm the one who wrote it. xD I was a little down at not getting much feedback on the last Chapter and so I've tried to give people a lot to work with in case they want to discuss things or whatever. I'm not vain or egotistical enough to expect reviews or whatever but it does help to know what you lovely readers think about things so don't be shy. =)

This Chapter features a lot of backstory for a few characters and so it isn't really introducing new events or anything but it does help to expand the OCs, the town in the desert and the plot twist featured in the last Chapter and so I hope you enjoy!

 ***Spoilers Warning*** Definite spoilers about the 'true' end of 'Awakening'. Also spoilers about other elements of the plot throughout the game.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing to do with 'Fire Emblem [Awakening]', its locations, characters etc. All rights go to their respective owners.

 **Rated T. (*Warning*** Contains 'dark' language, themes and suggestions, mentions of torture and seduction as well as violence and mentions of forced conception and sexual acts (but none take place within the story, I just want people to be aware in case those topics are overly sensitive for them.))

* * *

 **T** **ogether Again? Origins**

"You 'used' to be their queen...what happened?!" Lissa exclaimed at the old woman- Madame Ulima- as she took a seat opposite her.

After checking on the state of the town, Frederick and the others quickly reunited with their comrades back at the camp and let them know the good news that in the morn, the villagers would be allowed to start returning to their homes and businesses.

They'd also filled them in about the missing Shepherds and what Madame Ulima had told them. They'd managed to gleam the name of the town (Scorchfell) from her as they'd made their way back to the camp and as they aided the townsfolk with moving back and the few repairs that needed doing, they'd finally managed to get a moment to ask Madame Ulima what she knew.

Obviously they were all on edge as none of them knew what fate had befallen their comrades in their absence but Lissa was especially tense as in such a short period of time, her baby niece and her grown nephew had disappeared and now her brother, his wife (and her dear friend) was gone and so was her fully-grown niece as well as all her other friends. So it came to no surprise to anyone when she slammed her hands down on the table in front of the old woman, a pouty frown on her face and frustration in her eyes.

Ulima- to her credit- didn't even flinch at the princess's obvious anger instead she took a few deep breaths and a few moments to let her gaze fall on each of the Shepherds in front of her. Eventually she began to speak...

"This tale doesn't begin with me, it begins with the Grimleal and their attempts to resurrect Grima...and how one girl got caught in the middle of it..."

* * *

...The Grimleal spent centuries trying to resurrect Grima and that involved many of their people attempting to create someone who could be a host for him and his tremendous powers. Unfortunately for them, generation after generation came into the world and not a single one was capable of becoming a vessel.

It led to them becoming even crueller as a people as they were already deemed to be, children were born into loveless families with the sole intention of hosting Grima and when they weren't deemed worthy, they were sacrificed in special ceremonies that worshipped their dragon God. Many women were forced to bear children and were themselves executed when they failed either to produce or give birth to 'the chosen one'. They lived in a cycle of misery and glee at trying to aid Grima.

Eventually about twenty-four years ago, a baby was born to a man named Validar. The man had been born into a family that was determined to be the one who successfully brought Grima back from his slumber. He'd spent the majority of his thirty-three years working and studying tirelessly into how to finally create someone who could host the fell Dragon. He decided to try his luck by having a powerful mage become the mother of his child.

The poor subject of his desires was a twenty-year-old girl called Calypso with hair the colour of ash and deep brown eyes that saw right through to your soul. Despite her young age, she quickly became something of a legend within the Grimleal. She-like many of their people- were interested in bringing the Dragon back but unusually it wasn't her major desire.

However, it was her parent's.

When they were approached by the ambitious man about his yearnings to make their daughter the mother of the future host of Grima, they all but threw her at him much to her disdain but she was young and in no position to complain, she knew what happened to women who refused to have babies with men who were trying to bring back Grima- she'd be made to try for a host with this man with or without her consent.

It took only a few attempts for her to fall pregnant and whilst she felt no love for the man who had fathered the child growing inside of her, she- like many women- felt unconditionally love for her unborn babe from the very moment she found out she was carrying the child. During her pregnancy, Validar pretty much kept her prisoner in their home believing that the confinement would somehow contribute to creating the perfect host. During this time she continued to practise magic in secret knowing that Validar would punish her should he find her using it whilst carrying his young for using magic is a great risk normally let alone whilst pregnant. She also read texts he kept around also in secret in an attempt to make herself feel happy with possibly giving birth to Grima's host.

It worked to an extent for she like many of her people was transfixed with the idea of destruction and revenge but whilst reading about the fell dragon, she picked up books about other subjects such as cults, other supposed gods and- of course- about places one of which happened to be Scorchfell. Like the people of the famed town, the Grimleal also made their homes in the sands and so the idea of another place that was ruthless and had a lust for power appealed to them in more ways than one. On numerous occasions, the people and the royalty of Scorchfell were approached in the hopes that they would help the Grimleal with their cause but to no avail for they had no interest in either Naga or Grima.

This fact caught the girl's attention and so for much of the nine months that followed- her time was dedicated to learning about Scorchfell just in case she ever needed a place to go...

* * *

"M-Morgan!" Chrom stuttered as he took in his son's familiar figure over and over again, trying to convince himself that this wasn't real.

His son- Robin and Chrom's son; the young boy who'd doted on his Mother and whilst he couldn't recall either his father or his sister, he'd quickly found his place within their unit and within the Shepherds in general. Chrom loved the boy in front of him so much- whilst he hadn't doubted for a second that Robin would one day return to him whenever he focused on her absence too much, a part of him always worried about how he would cope if the Morgan of this time was never born and every single time, that train of thought caused him such misery and anguish- after Lucy was born, Chrom quickly decided that he wanted more children with Robin at some point (as long as she did as well) and having met a grown-up version of his possible future son, his excitement at possibly becoming a father again had been bubbling under the surface ever since.

"Is that all you can say-my name?" The boy asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking at the caged man in front of him, he folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall looking completely unfazed at this turn of events.

"No- of-of course not but...what else am I supposed to say? You-you gave your mother that mark on her arm, you _tortured_ her- the woman who gave you life."

"Well _she_ technically didn't, another her did and then she left me all alone to fend for myself, if you ask me she's of no more importance to me than any other woman in this world."

Chrom tried to control his rage, gripping the metal bars in front of him with all of his might, he looked down at the floor, closing his eyes as he murmured in a strained voice, "How can you say that?! You're her world- you're her _baby_."

Morgan scoffed. "Please, a version if you two brought me and my sister into world whilst knowing full well that our Mother carried Fell blood- what sort of people do that? You doomed us both to a lifetime of never knowing whether or not we could control that blood,"

Suddenly, for the first time since he'd begun talking to Chrom, Morgan's voice carried an emotion other than faint amusement- bitterness. "-And your precious little Lucina, she was able go defeat it- able to let Naga's blood have more control over her fate and her choices...but _I_ didn't."

"What do you mean?" Chrom inquired.

Morgan's gloved hands tightened into fists and he gritted his teeth. "Calypso- my _Grandmother-_ helped me get my memories back when I first came here; it turns out that in my world, I became Grima's- no- _Mother's_ servant. My darling sister became a hero who was meant to take us down and _I_ became a villain who was supposed to perish alongside the Fell dragon- a monster the same as my Mother...

"It makes sense to me now why Lucina's your favourite in this time- in every time, I bet she makes you so proud, having Naga's blood run so strongly through her veins; nothing at all like your son who didn't even know you existed when you found him."

"Stop it Morgan- that's not true-!" Chrom's voice cracked with sadness, he wanted to embrace his boy, hold him tight whilst reassuring him that he loved all of his children equally- the numerous versions of his daughter and son both and any other children that he and Robin may have had in other worlds where things played out differently- if of course- they had any other children...he loved them all as much as his own baby girl who he'd witnessed on the day of her birth regardless of their fates or their roles- they were his and Robin's babies and they always would be. "I'll admit- it was strange at first- all of the other future children knew their parents and Lucina had worked so tirelessly in both her own world and this world, it broke my heart knowing how badly the version of me from her time failed her, I felt obliged to make it up to her on his behalf and so bonding with her was easy...but you didn't know me- not that that was your fault of course! Lucina knew you but you'd disappeared in her world and so neither of us knew how you came to be in this world and how you didn't know us but knew your Mother.

"Learning to interact with you, watching you suffer with the consequences of losing your memories in the same way I had to watch your Mother deal with them- it... _hurt._ I didn't know what I could or couldn't say to you, I didn't know what you needed from me- if anything and I'm so, so sorry if that made you think I preferred Lucina over you- that I was playing favourites. The Fell blood inside of you means nothing in the same way being Grima's host meant nothing about Robin- you are both people in your own right- your blood doesn't define you, in the same way mine and Lucina's blood doesn't define us. My Father and Emmeryn both had Naga's blood and they were like chalk and cheese and both you and Lucina have Fell and Divine blood within you, neither of you are defined by either blood."

"It's easy to say that in retrospect isn't it? That our blood doesn't matter now that Lucina has no need to be a hero and I aren't Grima's slave but if things had played out differently- I would've been a monster and Lucina the hero."

"Why are both you and your Mother so convinced that your monsters, that you don't deserve salvation or happiness or whatever it is you desire- you helped to change fate, you helped to destroy Grima, whatever Calypso is trying to achieve by convincing you that you're irredeemable monsters- you can't let her succeed."

Morgan contemplated his words for a moment before an unnerving grin sliced across his face, "You'll quickly learn soon enough Father- the only people allowed within Scorchfell's walls are all- in their own way- monsters."

* * *

...When his baby was born, Validar was slightly irritated that it wasn't a boy as he believed a fully-grown man would be a more befitting host for the infamous God but despite his reservations, he couldn't hide his elation.

Now don't ask me how they could tell when the possible hosts were still newly-born babes but they were able to tell that Validar and Calypso had succeeded in making a baby that could host Grima and as such, the baby quickly became the Grimleal's focus however, they were not concerned with the baby's welfare for there was nothing that the Fell dragon wouldn't be able to fix when he came to use his host- they just had to sustain her body enough to come of age. The new-born child was treated no better than the failed hosts- from just a few weeks after she was born, she was left alone for hours at a time, Calypso was only allowed to feed her in small doses, she was barely changed and her temperature wasn't monitored despite desert temperatures being two versions of extreme between night and day.

Calypso quickly grew tired of Validar and the Grimleal's treatment of her flesh and blood and the idea of her baby hosting a dragon that was a God to a people she was realizing to be vile and cruel. It was these moments of clarity that finally convinced her to take action.

Using her magic and the knowledge gleamed from all those books read during her pregnancy, she concocted a plan to take her child away in the dead of night. After she made her escape with the young babe in her arms, she knew of only one place that she could go, Scorchfell, which she'd managed to work out a route to get towards using maps from the books and intuition.

When she approached the entrance, the guards stopped her, she held her head high as she addressed them. "I have business with your Queen-"

* * *

…"Wait hold up, Calypso just turned up on Scorchfell's doorstep and demanded to meet with royalty?!" Lissa shouted incredulously.

Ulima met her gaze and held it. "Indeed she did. The books she had access to covered a range of topics about my people- from its deepest history right up to a few years before she came to us."

"How do you know about Calypso's past if you weren't there?" Sully asked- suspicion colouring her tone.

"Rumours and stories, my good children, I have lived here for a long time now but I wanted to learn as much as I could about the person who dethroned me and what her intentions are. She knew about me, it was only fair that I returned the favour."

"So...she knew she was going to meet with you then?" Frederick inquired.

Ulima shook her head. "Not exactly, you see despite Scorchfell's dark and twisted past, during the past century or so, the ruling royal worked tirelessly to stop the barbaric acts that the people were so famed for, they aimed to create a happy- yet still secluded people- with many ways to make a living and many ways to be free. Unlike the Grimleal, the people were no longer bound to their past grudges and their mad obsession for revenge, they were happy with finally finding peace.

"However, many rules our ancestors created remained in our laws in order to remind people of who we used to be- the people who lived within Scorchfell knew that they were just kept for this very reason but keeping them (well...one in particular) had very dark consequences when it was acted upon by an outsider..."

* * *

..."I wish to challenge you for the position of leadership."

Gasps rose up around the court as the fifty-three-year-old woman narrowed her eyes at this fragile- looking young girl with a struggling new-born in her arms. Ulima's hands tightened on the arms of her throne. "...And what makes you think you can just waltz right in and challenge me for the rights to my throne?"

Calypso took a deep breath to steady herself before answering. "Why your Grace, isn't it within your rules that the leader of the people of Scorchfell must accept all challenges presented to them be it from an insider or an outsider for if you refuse then it is a sign of weakness- a sign that you are not in fact fit to rule."

The murmurs within the court grew in volume as they realized that she was indeed right about this law- it was a barbaric one that was made to create bloodshed and to assure the people that only the strongest- most volatile person possible was their ruler. Due to the people having experienced improvements to their quality of life, there hadn't been a challenge of leadership in over a hundred years- there was no reason to challenge for it when the person at the top was doing a great job.

Now an outsider was threatening to undo all that they had achieved.

Ulima was silent for a moment. "That rule is still in affect, therefore I must accept your challenge but be warned, I am not an easy opponent."

A blast of fire magic hit the wall beside her. "Neither am I." Calypso stated, fire still flickering at her fingertips on her left hand whilst her right gripped the baby.

Ulima smiled. "The challenge begins at midnight, make sure you're ready."

 **...**

 **… ...**

 **… … ...**

The arena was about to see its first bout of action in over a hundred years.

The two women stood face to face preparing to spar using magic. At the left side of the arena were two cradles; one held the newly born girl with ash hair and brown eyes and the one next to her's held a boy who was a couple of months older than her. He was tanned with ebony hair and startling eyes: one the colour of emerald and one the colour of amber.

His name was Samael and he was also Ulima's grandchild. His Mother died during childbirth and his Father had left shortly after finding out his wife was pregnant which meant that it fell to her to raise him which also meant she couldn't afford to lose here because if she did...is she did...

He'd be all alone in the world because most duels that took place here regardless as to whether they were fought with spears or magic were fought 'to the death'.

She couldn't afford to let that happen and she believed she had the advantage over her opponent due to her advanced years and experience. However she quickly began to realise that Calypso was an incredibly unique opponent, her skill with magic was unbelievable when compared with her young age. She also seemed to be a strong tactical thinker as she was seemingly always at least ten steps ahead of Ulima.

Ulima was trying her very best to keep up with Calypso's attacks whilst trying to get spells of her own to work however she was quickly being drained of energy.

Calypso realized that her opponent was losing her stamina and began to throw a flurry of quick attacks her way, forcing Ulima further and further backwards until she eventually stumbled and fell on her back.

Ulima looked up wide-eyed at her opponent who was looming above her, the moonlight illuminating her pale figure and her even paler hair. Her eyes burning with fire and passion.

Ulima lifted her hands up to cover her face, she knew she couldn't give up no matter what but she couldn't think of what else to do! There hadn't been much conflict during her reign, finding ways to defeat the odds wasn't one of her strong points. "Wh-why did you have to do this? Why did you have to challenge me?"

Calypso looked as if she wasn't going to answer at first but she eventually spoke up. "Your palace has dungeons and is heavily guarded by walls- you know, don't you? That myself and my daughter are Grimleal? She is meant to be Grima's host and so I am duty-bound to prevent what I am disinterested in happening- I have my own designs for my daughter, my own plans but until I can begin to put them into action, I am going to keep her locked up in the dungeons away from Validar and the Grimleal- in order to do that I need your title."

Ulima was startled into silence at the lack of emotion in the woman's voice; she was talking about chaining up her daughter, ruining Scorchfell's hard-earned peace and using her daughter for her own selfish plans and yet there was nothing there.

"Then kill me." Ulima rasped. "You have to do it, don't you?" Her eyes flittered to her grandson. _I'm sorry._ She thought. _I'm so sorry._

A contemplative look came across the woman's face and then she summoned a bolt of thunder that she pointed at Ulima's heart, gasps, shouts and screams sounded around her but Ulima only winced, anticipating the blow.

But it never came.

"I have no intention of ruining the lives of your citizens- they will continue to live with the luxuries they have grown accustomed to-" Calypso sounded disgusted at that but it was clear that she was being honest even if she didn't approve of their lifestyle. "-I also have no desire to kill you but you will leave this place...and you will leave without the boy."

"What do you want my grandchild for?!" Ulima cried.

Calypso snorted. "That is no longer your concern but even if it was, you wouldn't be able to leave this place with him anyway, there is a reason no one under the age of ten is allowed to leave this place- the desert is treacherous enough for fully grown adults let alone for babies. You'd be sentencing him to death if you took him with you."

Ulima hung her head in shame and defeat. Misery overcame her at the truth of her opponent's words.

"I will tell him of you though, I have no desire to let him think of me as his family or mistake me as his Mother. Luckily I am planning to abolish the law which led to your downfall so he won't be able to take revenge upon me should he ever desire it which I will see to it that he doesn't."

She smirked before finally losing interest in the old woman. "People of Scorchfell- I am now your Queen and you will bow to me!"

A foolish, hopeful part of Ulima hoped that her people would refuse, would stand up to this woman and fight for her case but instead they bent and chanted Calypso's name- she was the strongest, she'd earned the right to rule.

Scorchfell hadn't changed as much as the royals had thought.

With the attention no longer on her, Ulima silently made her exit from the town in the desert without daring to look back, tears streaming down her face at the loss of her town and her grandson.

* * *

There was a clattering of bars and heavy footsteps approaching Chrom. He tried to pretend that he hadn't heard anyone approach and he thought it had worked when he heard the steps retreat...

...Until a bucket of water was thrown over him.

He coughed and spluttered as he pushed himself up.

"Rise and shine, sunshine." A drawling, deep voice taunted and Chrom groaned inwardly when he realized his visitor was none other than Samael- since his discussion with Morgan, he hadn't seen either his son or his wife since and so it was even more irritating to have his visitor be the man who kept hitting on his wife.

At least he was wearing a shirt this time, much to Chrom's surprise.

Wiping some water from his mouth, Chrom pushed himself up, narrowing his eyes at the man. "What do you want?"

"Why you and your daughter have been summoned from the depths of the dungeons to meet with our dear Calypso. You should be honoured, you get to spend time with your Mother-in-Law.

"...And whilst your doing that, I think I shall pay Robin a visit, she's spent a lot of time cooped up in her room since Morgan gave her a...refresher course as to where her loyalties should lie, I think she'd appreciate the TLC."

Samael chuckled and Chrom launched himself at him for the second time since they met. "Keep your hands off of my wife you son of a-"

Samael wagged his finger. "Ah-ah-ah, you better watch that mouth of yours, that sort of language isn't acceptable to be used by Ylisse's blessed Exalt." He sneered. "Do you use that same mouth to kiss Robin with?"

Chrom shoved Samael and pushed himself away. "What is your obsession with her- you barely know her, you only met about a year ago."

Samael stroked his chin, contemplating what he was allowed to say. "I know her better than you think." Chrom looked up into the man's tanned face at the sound of his voice, he thought he saw a flash of envy in his strange eyes.

Before Chrom could ask him what he meant, Samael shoved a change of clothes his way; you have to look at least somewhat presentable in front of our Queen, put these on and don't take too long about it, she isn't known for her patience."

Samael left the cell and locked the gate before standing just out of reach with his back to Chrom, preventing any attacks coming his way whilst also giving Chrom some decency.

* * *

"Are you okay?" The boy murmured as he approached the small girl chained to the wall. He'd been doing this every day for about a week- the girl was nearly six-years-old and yet he'd only found out about her only about a month ago when Calypso had let him enter the dungeon for the first time.

"This is my daughter." She'd told him and Samael had looked at her wide-eyed with surprise. "What is she doing chained up then?"

Calypso smiled down at him, "It is for her own protection. Barely anybody knows she's here and so you must help to keep the secret, can you do that?"

Samael nodded at the woman. "Can I come visit her?"

"Of course, that is why I'm introducing you to her, I want you to visit her as much as you can, talk to her and teach her things, she doesn't know many words as she hasn't had many reasons to talk but I hope you can help with that, okay?"

The boy agreed to visit her when he could. He only had about an hour each day since he was allowed back into the dungeon to spend time with her as he was obligated to spend much of his time training and attending school.

She hadn't even looked up at him let alone opened her mouth to speak and he felt like visiting her was pointless but he still did it because Calypso had asked him to and even though he was still young himself, he was already aware of the fact that he owed her his life and so until she ordered him otherwise, she would continue to visit the chained child.

He asked her loads of questions but never got a response and then one day, he asked a really obvious question- so obvious in fact, it hadn't occurred to him to ask it in the hopes of getting her to talk. "Do you have a name?"

The ash-haired girl looked at him then and he was startled by how piercing her brown eyes were, they were interrogative and curious- burning with a desire to learn despite the fact she hadn't had many opportunities to do so. "R-Robin." She rasped.

He cocked his head. "Robin? You're named after a kind of bird?! Kind of ironic for a girl who's chained to a wall." He laughed...

...She didn't respond in kind.

"Err...sorry." They were silent for a moment. "M-my name is Samael, I have been asked to visit you."

She didn't respond at first but then she began trying to form a word that began in 'h'.

"Are you trying to say 'hello'?"

She nodded.

"Hmm...I'll have to begin to teach you language, I'm about your age so I aren't the best either but we can learn together, okay?"

Her eyes became bright when he said 'learn', she wanted to know everything that she was missing out on.

Samael was surprised by how bubbly and happy she was despite the circumstances she was being raised in.

A bell tolled in the distance, catching Samael's attention. "I have to go." He sighed. As he began to turn away, a small hand touched his, turning it around so his palm was facing upwards.

"Wha-?!" He asked before he felt something light land in his palm. He looked at the object which showed Scorchfell's emblem on its surface. "It's a ring." He remarked with a frown curious as to where she got it.

"Mummy." She said and his eyebrows pulled together in confusion before he realised she was trying to say that she'd got it from Calypso.

"Maybe you should keep it." He said trying to hand it back but she shook her head.

"Samael...have."

He jolted at the sound of his name and he wasn't quite sure how to respond but he knew he had to go and so had no time to argue and so he nodded. "Okay." He then rose from the floor. "I shall see you soon...Robin." Her name came out like a prayer and he was blushing though he didn't know why as it was chilly in the dungeons.

 **...**

 **… … ...**

 **… … ...**

As he waited for the blue-haired Exalt to change, Samael reached under his shirt and grabbed the chain that hung around his neck. He normally didn't wear shirts when he was out on business instead sticking with belts and leather but the cells were freezing and he was going to be entering Calypso's court with all of her advisors and staff who were more...formal than he normally was. Whenever he wore a shirt, he wore the chain underneath it but other times kept it in a pouch safely on his person.

The chain bore his gift from his childhood friend and he never went anywhere without it. Normally he didn't bother to look at it, just having it with him was enough but since she'd come back into his life, he'd begun to look at it more and more."

The man in the cell behind him coughed to let him know he was ready to leave and Samael bit back his anger as he turned to free Robin's husband from his cell in order to take him to face Calypso.

* * *

Samael is so cute, bless him. I hope Robin is okay as a character in this story; she is really strong and awesome in the game and so I really don't want to make her a tragic character or a 'damsel in distress' however, I want her to have some concerns about herself and her life which she needs to deal with and overcome through this story so I'm hoping that over time, I can find a balance between Robin's weaker side and her stronger one. Also I finally own a Chrom pillow! All I need now is a way to transport myself to the world of 'Awakening' so I can actually marry him and spend my life with him and I'm sorted. xD

I have come to realise that I can't decide between Chrobin and LeonxFrey from 'Rune Factory 4' for my favourite 'fictional' pairing and so they are now my joint favourites and their respective games my joint favourites of all-time...is that cheating? xD Until next time. xXx


End file.
